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Aim: Whether serum concentration of procalcitonin (PCT), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and albumin (Alb) have an association with the outcome of hospitalized older patients is unclear. We investigated clinical outcomes and any predictive factors in hospitalized Japanese older patients with a risk of infection., Methods: In the retrospective study, 820 Japanese patients were followed up for 30 days or until death. During the observation period, 656 patients survived and 164 patients died. The predictive factors of death were analyzed according to demographic and clinical variables., Results: The survival rate was decreased as the serum PCT increased from <0.5 to ≥10 ng/mL, as was also the case with BNP from <300 to ≥300 pg./mL, whereas low Alb (<2.5 g/dL) showed a lower survival rate than high Alb (≥2.5 g/dL; P < 0.01). Using the Cox regression model, the multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) were as follows: PCT 0.5-2 versus <0.5 ng/mL: 1.61(1.04-2.49), PCT 2-10 versus <0.5 ng/mL: 1.91(1.15-3.16), PCT ≥10 versus <0.5 ng/mL: 2.90(1.84-4.59), high BNP 1.26 (0.89-1.76) and low Alb 0.68 (0.52-0.87). The mortality rate increased as the number of scores (PCT + BNP + Alb) increased., Conclusions: Concentration-dependent high PCT, high BNP and low Alb were positive risk factors associated with poor prognosis in hospitalized older patients with a risk of infection. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 571-576., (© 2024 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Aim: Despite efforts toward health promotion and preventive care for older adults, including health checkups and postal Kihon Checklist survey, one fifth of community-dwelling older adults do not participate in them. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between this non-participation and the end of certification-free survival in older adults., Methods: In a cohort of 4120 older adults with no prior history of Long-Term Care Insurance certification, the associations of non-participation with risk of later death without certification and support/care-need certification for 72 months were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards analysis., Results: Of them, 4022 (mean age 72.7 years, 54.7% women) were followed up (97.6%). At baseline, 1072 received health checkups, 2085 replied to the Kihon Checklist alone and 865 did not participate. During 72 months, 310 deaths without certification and 701 certifications occurred. After adjustment, non-participating individuals had significantly higher hazard ratios for death up to 72 months and for certification up to 36 months, compared with the other two groups. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed associations of increasing incidence of certification due to stroke in pre-old (aged 65-74 years) men for 72 months, and due to arthralgia/fracture and dementia in old (aged ≥75 years) women for 24 months, with non-participation in health promotions. Certified non-participating individuals incurred higher estimated Long-Term Care Insurance expenditure per person for 72 months, especially in pre-old men and old women., Conclusions: Health promotion by health checkup and even Kihon Checklist survey increases certification-free survival in older residents, and decreases Long-Term Care Insurance expenditure. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1206-1214., (© 2019 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Aim: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes and lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) range in diabetes patients are associated with higher mortality. We investigated whether these conditions were associated with the risk of loss of independence in community-dwelling older adults., Methods: We analyzed 1078 older adults with no history of support/care-need certification in Long-Term Care Insurance aged 65-94 years. Associations of baseline CKD, diabetes, and lower HbA 1c range of <6.0% in the diabetes patients, at baseline health checkup with risk of later certification and/or death for 5 years were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards regression model., Results: The prevalence of both CKD and diabetes in the total population increased with age, due to a net increase in the coexistence of CKD and diabetes. The prevalence of the lower HbA 1c range also increased with age in participants with the coexistence. During 5 years, 135 certifications and 53 deaths occurred. After adjustment, patients with comorbidity of the triad of CKD, diabetes and the lower HbA 1c range had significantly higher hazard ratios (HR) for certification (HR 3.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.91-6.48, P < 0.001) and for death (HR 3.79, 95% CI 1.46-9.85, P = 0.006) compared with those without CKD and diabetes. The harmful impact of the lower HbA 1c range on later certification compared with higher HbA 1c range of ≥6.0% was maintained in diabetes patients with use of antidiabetic agents and CKD (HR 2.40, 95% CI 1.06-6.45, P = 0.036)., Conclusions: Excessive HbA 1c reduction might cause discontinuance of disability-free survival in community-dwelling older diabetes patients with CKD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 521-529., (© 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Aim: Not only cardiovascular disease (CVD) itself, but also subclinical major electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities are related to frailty in older adults. We investigated whether major ECG abnormality was associated with first support/care-need certification in Long-Term Care Insurance or death in community-dwelling older adults., Methods: We analyzed 1078 community-dwelling older adults with no history of certification aged 65-94 years. Relationships between baseline major ECG abnormality and risk of first certification or death were estimated using the Cox proportional hazards model., Results: During 5 years, 135 first certifications and 53 deaths occurred. Among participants with no prior history of CVD (n = 875), those with major ECG abnormality (n = 282) showed significantly higher adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for certification (HR 2.42, 95% CI 1.58-3.69, P < 0.001) and for death (HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.27-4.69, P = 0.008) compared with control participants without major ECG abnormality (n = 593). The impact of major ECG abnormality on certification in this group was more evident in older adults with age ≥75 years, female sex or hyperuricemia. Participants with either arrhythmia or ST/T abnormality on ECG examination tended to have higher HR for certification as a result of dementia. In participants with a prior history of CVD (n = 203), the impact of major ECG abnormality (n = 126) on certification was not significant., Conclusions: These observations show that subclinical major ECG abnormality predicts higher risk for later support/care-need certification in community-dwelling older adults with no prior history of CVD. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1967-1976., (© 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Aim: Although lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ) has been believed to be an important marker of improvement of glycemic control in order to maintain better quality of life for patients with diabetes mellitus, a too low HbA 1c might be harmful in older adults. We investigated whether this was the case with respect to risk of support/care-need certification in community-dwelling older patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus., Methods: We analyzed 184 diabetes patients aged 65-94 years receiving glucose-lowering medication/insulin. The end-points were first support/care-need certification and/or death. The relationships between four classes of HbA 1c and risk of support/care-need certification and/or death were determined using the Cox proportional hazards regression model., Results: During 5 years, 42 first support/care-need certifications and 13 deaths occurred. The association of HbA 1c with risk of support/care-need certification after adjustment for age, sex and confounding variables was J-shaped, with the nadir at an HbA 1c level of 6.5 to <7.0%, and with an increased risk of support/care-need certification (HR 3.45, 95% CI 1.02-11.6, P = 0.046) at an HbA 1c level of <6.0% compared with the nadir. When compared with patients with HbA 1c ≥6.0%, those with HbA 1c <6.0% showed a higher risk of support/care-need certification as a result of dementia (HR 12.5, 95% CI 3.00-52.2, P = 0.001), but not as a result of arthralgia/fracture, stroke or other disorders., Conclusions: These observations show that a too low HbA 1c might be associated with a later risk of incident disability as a result of dementia in community-dwelling older diabetes patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1858-1865., (© 2017 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Objective: Although many large-scale trials showed efficacies of antihypertensive treatment in patients with diabetes mellitus and hypertension for reduction of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity/mortality, blood pressure (BP) targets in older hypertensive patients with diabetes still represent the object of debate. We investigated adequate BP targets with respect to the risk of incident disability or mortality in community-dwelling elderly hypertensive patients with and without diabetes., Methods: We analyzed 139 diabetic and 431 non-diabetic patients receiving antihypertensive treatment aged 65 years or older. The end-point was the composite outcome of first certification for support/care need or mortality. Relationships among each of four classes of systolic BP (SBP) or diastolic BP (DBP) and the risk of events were estimated using Cox hazards analysis., Results: Over 4 years, diabetic patients showed significantly higher rates of all events including first certification for support/care need or mortality compared with the non-diabetic subjects (29 [20.8%] and 48 [11.1%] cases, unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-3.16, P = 0.003). After adjustment for confounding variables, the risk of events was significantly higher in non-diabetic subjects with SBP <120 mmHg (HR 3.90, 95% CI 1.32-11.5, P = 0.014) and SBP ≥160 mmHg (HR 3.42, 95% CI 1.22-9.57, P = 0.019), but only those with SBP ≥160 mmHg (HR 22.8, 95% CI 4.83-118, P < 0.001) in diabetic patients, compared with non-diabetic control subjects with baseline SBP of 140-159 mmHg., Conclusion: These observations showed the critical importance of intensive control of SBP to <160 mmHg for disability-free survival in elderly hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus., (© 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

A 98-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of anorexia, epigastralgia, and vomiting. An elastic hard tumor was palpable in her epigastric region. CT and US examination revealed a huge cystic lesion adjacent to the left lobe of the liver and the stomach. Her serum levels of CEA (13.6 ng/ml), CA19-9 (95 U/ml) and CA125 (99 U/ml) were high. She suffered from aspiration pneumonia on the 10th day of admission, which progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome. On the 20th day of admission, the epigastric tumor suddenly disappeared. She passed away on the 31st day due to respiratory failure. Autopsy revealed that she had a ruptured pancreatic anaplastic mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the oldest reported case of ruptured pancreatic cystadenocarcinoma in the world.