Articles related to Geriatrics

Nutritional challenges are common in older adults with acute leukemia (AML/MDS), and can have a significant impact on their quality of life and treatment outcomes. These challenges can be caused by a variety of factors, including the disease itself, its treatment, and the normal aging process. Some of the most common nutritional challenges in older adults with AML/MDS include appetite loss, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, and mouth sores; physicians can provide nutritional interventions to help address these challenges and improve the quality of life for older adults with AML/MDS. These interventions may include nutrition counseling, meal planning, supplementation, and enteral nutrition.

According to census data, there are 49.2 million older persons in the United States, with 21 million (42.6%) earning less than 200% of the federal poverty threshold. With the majority of older persons having their natural dentition, there will be an increased demand for oral health (OH) treatments among this demographic. Although the causative links between oral and systemic diseases are still developing and not entirely established, there is undeniably a bidirectional relationship between OH, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes in older persons.

This 1-Minute Consult reviews the bedside workup of delirium and possible stroke and reviews the cases for – and against – imaging.

Older adults using digital communications technology like email and video calls had higher levels of depression and anxiety about COVID-19. One explanation is that those who experiencing feelings of depression and anxiety were more likely to use digital tools. But another plausible explanation is that the digital technologies used were not well suited to older adults, possibly fueling their depression and anxiety.

Thirty-three studies comprised of 2,384 participants in various populations, including community dwellers, nursing home residents, and those with chronic disease, were identified. Hatha yoga was the foundation of most yoga styles, and Iyengar or chair-based methods were frequently used. Measures of gait speed, handgrip strength, balance, lower-extremity strength and endurance, and multicomponent physical performance were used as single-item frailty markers; no studies included a validated definition of frailty.

Long-term continuous monitoring for atrial fibrillation in older patients yielded an incidental diagnosis of sinus node dysfunction or atrioventricular block with bradycardia in 21% of patients over the age of 70. But the finding was not associated with any increased risk of syncope or sudden death.