Geriatric Medicine News

Poor balance function was linked to an increased risk for death from all causes, CVD and cancer in adults aged 40 years and older, according to research published in JAMA Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

The simultaneous use of oral glucocorticoids and proton pump inhibitors is associated with a 1.6-fold increased risk for osteoporotic fractures in patients aged 50 years and older with rheumatoid arthritis, according to data.

About one of four patients with breast cancer experienced cognitive impairment, and it was “not exclusively related” to the patient’s therapy, researchers wrote in Psycho-Oncology.

Many adults aged at least 75 years are taking aspirin for primary CVD prevention despite lack of evidence, whereas many are not taking statins for primary CVD prevention despite strong evidence, researchers reported.

Women appear to have greater cognitive reserve but faster cognitive decline vs. men, according to results of a cohort study published in JAMA Network Open.

Older patients with ischemic stroke who took statins for 2 years after discharge experienced fewer CV events after hospital discharge compared with those who took them for less than 2 years or not at all, researchers reported in Stroke.

Older adults with an HbA1c in the prediabetes range were far more likely to revert to normoglycemia or die during 5-year follow-up than to progress to overt type 2 diabetes, according to a community-based study.

Cognitive behavioral therapy offered via a telephone call improved sleep, fatigue and, “to a lesser degree,” pain among older adults with insomnia and osteoarthritis, according to researchers. “Scalable delivery models of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), an effective treatment, are needed for widespread implementation, particularly in rural and underserved populations lacking ready access to insomnia treatment,” Susan M. McCurry, PhD, a research professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing, and colleagues wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Sleeping fewer than 5 hours per night was associated with increased risks for incident dementia and death among older adults in the United States, according to research published in Aging.

Choir singing improves verbal flexibility, a domain of executive function and cognition, in older adults, according to research published in PLOS ONE.