PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J Valvanne

Publications and source records attributed to J Valvanne.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Prevalence of dementia in the city of Helsinki.

The Helsinki Aging Study is based on a random sample of 795 subjects aged 75-years (N = 274), 80-years (N = 266) and 85-years (N = 255). A clinical examination including Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR)-scale was carried out in 82% of the cases. 93 demented subjects were found, 17 of whom had mild dementia. The prevalence of moderate and severe dementia was 2.9%, 10.3% and 23.3% in the age groups of 75-year-olds, 80-year-olds and 85-year-olds, respectively. If we take into account also the mild cases, we get the prevalence of dementia 4.6%, 13.1% and 26.7% in the above mentioned age groups, respectively. The proportion of mild dementias was lower than expected, which probably reflects both the difficulties to recognize mild dementia in an elderly population and the relatively small compensatory capacity of elderly people.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Serum ionized calcium and the prevalence of primary hyperparathyroidism in age cohorts of 75, 80 and 85 years.

In the elderly, primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) is often disguised as 'senility' which can, however, be alleviated or cured by parathyroid surgery. The prevalence of HPT in the non-selected 75- to 85-year-old subjects (n = 610) randomly sampled from census records was estimated by measurements of serum ionized calcium and intact parathyrin levels. The prevalence of cases that require clinical attention seems to be around 3% in women and less than 1% in men. Furthermore, this study indicates that, on average, the serum ionized calcium concentration remains stable even in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

The demented elderly in the city of Helsinki: functional capacity and placement.

OBJECTIVE: To study prevalence, functional capacity, and placement of demented patients in a randomly selected population. DESIGN: Survey. SETTING: Random sample from population registry of the City of Helsinki. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred subjects aged 75 years, 80 years and 85-years, 300 in each group. MEASUREMENTS: For each participant, we completed a questionnaire for the subject and an informant and a functional-capacity scale and Mini-Mental Status Examination by a community nurse, including the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale. Subjects with CDR of 0.5 or greater were examined by a neurologist who diagnosed the presence or absence of dementia according to DSM-III-R. RESULTS: Ninety-three subjects of the 656 whose CDR was known were found to have dementia. Three-quarters of them lived in institutions, and they comprised 33%, 60%, and 68% of all institutionalized patients in the above-mentioned age groups, respectively. Community residents suffering from dementia often lived with a caring relative and needed many services. A considerable part of the need was not met. CONCLUSIONS: In the older age groups, the need for institutional placement due to dementia is great. According to our study, it seems unlikely that these patients could be cared for in any other way, at least not on a large scale. The need for services for home-dwelling patients is also great, and the relatives carry a heavy load in taking care of demented patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Correction for age, education and other demographic variables in the use of the Mini Mental State Examination in Finland.

The population-based Helsinki Aging Study was comprised of three age groups: 75-, 80- and 85-year-olds. A random sample of 511 subjects completed the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and were assessed on the Clinical Dementia Rating-scale (CDR). According to the CDR results 446 subjects were screened as non-demented. Of these subjects 30% scored below or at 24 MMSE points. Age, education and social group had a significant effect on the MMSE scores, even after excluding the demented cases. Together they explained 10% of the total variance within the MMSE. Social group correlated with education. The MMSE scores were corrected according to age and education. Adjustment of the originally used cutpoint of 24 resulted in cutpoints of 25 and 26 among the 75-year-olds, in the low and high education groups respectively; 23 and 26 in the 80-year-olds; 22 and 23 in the 85-year-olds.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Association between salivary flow rate and the use of systemic medication among 76-, 81-, and 86-year-old inhabitants in Helsinki, Finland.

The aim of this study was to examine salivary flow rate and its association with the use of medication in a representative sample of 76-, 81-, and 86-year-old subjects, totaling 368. In this study, 23% (n = 80) of the subjects were unmedicated. From one to three daily medications were used by 47% (n = 168) and more than four medications by 30% (n = 104). The most commonly used medications were nitrates, digitalis or anti-arrhythmic drugs (47.7%), analgesics and antipyretics (32.6%), and diuretics (29.5%). The mean number used daily was significantly higher in 86-year-olds than in the two younger age groups (p < 0.01). No significant differences in this respect were found between genders. Among the unmedicated subjects, 76-year-olds had significantly higher stimulated salivary flow rates than did the 81-year-olds (p < 0.05). Unmedicated women showed significantly lower unstimulated (p < 0.01) and stimulated flow rates than did men (p < 0.05). Stimulated salivary flow rate was also significantly higher in the 76-year-old medicated subjects than in the medicated 86-year-old subjects (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found in unstimulated salivary flow rates among the three age groups. Medicated women showed significantly lower unstimulated salivary flow rates than men (p < 0.001), although the difference in stimulated saliva flow was not significant. A statistically significant difference in unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates was found between unmedicated persons and those who took from four to six, or more than seven, prescribed medications daily.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Urinary incontinence as a predictor of death and institutionalization in a general aged population.

The prognostic significance of urinary incontinence (UI) was evaluated using the Helsinki (Finland) Aging Study Database, in which a random sample of persons of three age cohorts (75, 80 and 85 years, n=649) was followed for 5 years. The prevalence rates of UI in the three age groups were 10.5%, 20.4% and 28.6%, respectively. UI was also frequent in healthy aged subjects (15.6%), but most common in hospitalized patients (35.3%), in those with severe depression (51.8%), previous stroke (37.6%) or dementia (48.8%). UI had age- and gender-adjusted risk ratios (95% C.I.) for mortality of 1.75 (1.33-2.30) and for long-term institutional care of 2.37 (1.30-3.84). However, after controlling for the presence of dementia, the risk ratios were no longer significant. Thus, UI predicts both death and long-term institutionalization in the general aged population. However, this observation is mainly explained by the close association of UI with dementia.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term changes in mood of an aged population: repeated Zung-tests during a 10-year follow-up.

Associates and predictors of lowered mood were investigated in a 10-year prospective study of 411 random persons of three birth cohorts (aged 75, 80 and 85 years) in Helsinki, Finland. High Zung-score ( > 45 points = lowered mood) was found in 24% of subjects and clearly associated with age. Lowered mood was also associated with pessimistic attitudes towards life and impaired survival prognosis. The mean Zung-score fell drastically during the first follow-up (from 39.1 to 34.6 points, P < 0.001) and remained unchanged thereafter at 10-year examination of the survivors (33.9 points). Lowering mood (increase in Zung-score) was best predicted by low baseline Zung-score (r = -0.673, P < 0.001), high baseline MMSE-score (r = -159. P < 0.05) and simultaneous changes in MMSE-scores (r = 0.269, P < 0.01). The data show that lowered mood is associated with pessimistic attitudes towards life, cognitive impairment and impaired survival and that cognitive impairment exposes a patient to lowering mood. It is possible that a screening program improves the mood of aged population.

Age Distribution↗