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Background: Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since 1999, influenza vaccine is provided free-of-charge to adults aged 60 years or more in Brazil. Although vaccination coverage is high, previous studies have shown that socioeconomic and lifestyle factors play an essential role in predicting vaccine uptake. This study aimed to investigate whether previous knowledge of factors that constrain influenza vaccine uptake among older adults contributed to increasing the access to vaccination in 2015–16. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed data from the baseline of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging. This national representative sample encompassed individuals aged 60 and older (n = 5221). Vaccination status was the outcome variable; covariates included socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics, health status, and access to healthcare. Logistic regression fitted the association between vaccine uptake and covariates. Results: The coverage of influenza vaccination was 73.0% (95% confidence interval: 70.6–75.2); ranking lower than the goal of 80% set up by the national health authority. The most frequent reasons to justify the option of skipping vaccination were cultural beliefs about the lack of efficacy and possible side effects of the vaccine. The coverage of vaccination did not differ by socioeconomic characteristics. Older individuals, never smokers, having two or more chronic diseases, and being registered in the Family Health Program were positively associated with influenza vaccine uptake. Conclusions: Absent socioeconomic inequalities point out changes in the barriers to vaccination. These findings provide insights into tailoring public health strategies, targeting professional recommendations and public perceptions of the vaccine. Keywords: Influenza vaccines, Influenza, Human, Vaccination coverage, Socioeconomic factors, Aged

RESUMO: Objetivo: Apresentar os aspectos metodológicos do Projeto Saúde Brumadinho e descrever o perfil epidemiológico dos participantes da linha de base da coorte. Métodos: Coorte prospectiva, de base populacional, em amostra representativa dos residentes (12 anos ou mais de idade) de Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, após rompimento de barragem de rejeitos de mineração. As informações para a linha de base foram coletadas em 2021, dois anos após o rompimento da barragem de rejeitos de mineração, incluindo aspectos sociodemográficos, de saúde, uso de serviços, entre outros. Foram descritas prevalências de desfechos em saúde em Brumadinho, bem como na região metropolitana de Belo Horizonte e em Minas Gerais, utilizando os dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2019. Todas as análises foram realizadas no Stata 17.0, considerando-se os pesos amostrais e o efeito de delineamento. Resultados: Participaram 3.080 (86,4%) moradores, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino (56,7%) e com média de idade de 46,1 anos. As doenças referidas mais frequentes foram hipertensão arterial (30,1%), colesterol alto (23,1%) e depressão (22,5%). Pelo menos uma consulta médica e uma hospitalização no último ano ocorreram em 75,2% e 9,4% dos entrevistados, respectivamente. Conclusão: É importante o monitoramento das condições de saúde, físicas e mentais, após ocorrência de um desastre dessa magnitude. Esse conhecimento poderá contribuir para a gestão de risco desses processos não só no município atingido, mas em outras áreas nas quais as populações estão sob risco de grandes desastres.

Contains fulltext : 287762.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: Poor social connections (eg, small networks, infrequent interactions, and loneliness) are modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline. Existing meta-analyses are limited by reporting aggregate responses, a focus on global cognition, and combining social measures into single constructs. We aimed to investigate the association between social connection markers and the rate of annual change in cognition (ie, global and domain-specific), as well as sex differences, using an individual participant data meta-analysis. METHODS: We harmonised data from 13 longitudinal cohort studies of ageing in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they had baseline data for social connection markers and at least two waves of cognitive scores. Follow-up periods ranged from 0 years to 15 years across cohorts. We included participants with cognitive data for at least two waves and social connection data for at least one wave. We then identified and excluded people with dementia at baseline. Primary outcomes were annual rates of change in global cognition and cognitive domain scores over time until final follow-up within each cohort study analysed by use of an individual participant data meta-analysis. Linear mixed models within cohorts used baseline social connection markers as predictors of the primary outcomes. Effects were pooled in two stages using random-effects meta-analyses. We assessed the primary outcomes in the main (partially adjusted) and fully adjusted models. Partially adjusted models controlled for age, sex, and education; fully adjusted models additionally controlled for diabetes, hypertension, smoking, cardiovascular risk, and depression. FINDINGS: Of the 40 006 participants in the 13 cohort studies, we excluded 1392 people with dementia at baseline. 38 614 individual participants were included in our analyses. For the main models, being in a relationship or married predicted slower global cognitive decline (b=0·010, 95% CI 0·000-0·019) than did being single or never married; living with others predicted slower global cognitive (b=0·007, 0·002-0·012), memory (b=0·017, 0·006-0·028), and language (b=0·008, 0·000-0·015) decline than did living alone; and weekly interactions with family and friends (b=0·016, 0·006-0·026) and weekly community group engagement (b=0·030, 0·007-0·052) predicted slower memory decline than did no interactions and no engagement. Never feeling lonely predicted slower global cognitive (b=0·047, 95% CI 0·018-0·075) and executive function (b=0·047, 0·017-0·077) decline than did often feeling lonely. Degree of social support, having a confidante, and relationship satisfaction did not predict cognitive decline across global cognition or cognitive domains. Heterogeneity was low (I(2)=0·00-15·11%) for all but two of the significant findings (association between slower memory decline and living with others [I(2)=58·33%] and community group engagement, I(2)=37·54-72·19%), suggesting robust results across studies. INTERPRETATION: Good social connections (ie, living with others, weekly community group engagement, interacting weekly with family and friends, and never feeling lonely) are associated with slower cognitive decline. FUNDING: EU Joint Programme-Neurodegenerative Disease Research grant, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council Australia, and the US National Institute on Aging of the US National Institutes of Health.

O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a associação entre capital social e a incapacidade funcional, numa perspectiva longitudinal, utilizando dados da coorte de idosos de Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brasil. A linha de base do estudo foi composta por todos os idosos sobreviventes e livres de incapacidade no sétimo ano de seguimento (2004), acompanhados até 2011. A variável desfecho foi a incapacidade funcional para as ABVD (atividades básicas de vida diária) e AIVD (atividades instrumentais de vida diária), analisadas separadamente. A exposição de interesse foi o capital social, mensurado por meio de seus componentes cognitivo (coesão e suporte social) e estrutural (participação social e satisfação com a vizinhança). Variáveis sociodemográficas, de condições de saúde e de hábitos de vida foram utilizadas para efeitos de ajuste, e a ocorrência de óbito foi considerada evento competitivo. A hipótese de associação entre capital social e incapacidade funcional foi testada por meio do modelo de riscos competitivos, que fornece hazard ratios (HR) e intervalos de 95% de confiança (IC95%). Após a análise multivariada, o capital social, em seu componente estrutural, esteve associado à incapacidade funcional. Idosos insatisfeitos com a vizinhança apresentaram risco maior de desenvolver incapacidade funcional para AIVD (HR = 2,36; IC95%: 1,31-4,24), em relação às suas contrapartes. Os resultados desse estudo sugerem que a incapacidade funcional está associada a outros aspectos que não somente da saúde, evidenciando a necessidade de desenvolver políticas e intervenções que abarquem aspectos ligados ao ambiente físico e social em que o idoso está inserido. This study aimed to investigate the association between social capital and functional disability, based on a longitudinal perspective, using data from the cohort of older adults from Bambuí, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The baseline of this study was composed of all surviving and disability-free - up until the seventh year of follow-up (2004) - older adults who were followed up until 2011. The outcome variable was functional disability for basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), separately analyzed. Social capital was the exposure of interest, measured through its cognitive (cohesion and social support) and structural (social participation and satisfaction with the neighborhood) components. Sociodemographic variables, health conditions, and lifestyle habits were used for adjustment purposes, and the occurrence of death was considered a competitive event. The hypothesis of association between social capital and functional disability was tested using the competing risk model, which provides hazard ratios (HR) and a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). After multivariate analysis, social capital - in its structural component - was associated with functional disability. Older adults who were dissatisfied with the neighborhood had a higher risk of developing functional disability for IADL (HR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.31-4.24), in relation to their counterparts. This study results suggest that functional disability is associated with aspects other than health, evidencing the need for the development of policies and interventions that support aspects related to the physical and social environment in which older adults live. El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la asociación entre el capital social y la discapacidad funcional desde una perspectiva longitudinal, utilizando datos de la cohorte de ancianos de Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brasil. La línea de base de este estudio estaba compuesta por todos los supervivientes de edad avanzada y sin discapacidad en el séptimo año de seguimiento (2004), seguidos hasta 2011. La variable de resultado fue la discapacidad funcional para las ABVD (actividades básicas de la vida diaria) y las AIVD (actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria), analizadas por separado. La exposición de interés fue el capital social, medido a través de sus componentes cognitivo (cohesión y apoyo social) y estructural (participación social y satisfacción con el barrio). Se utilizaron variables sociodemográficas, de condiciones de salud y de estilo de vida para los efectos de ajuste, y la ocurrencia de la muerte se consideró un evento competitivo. La hipótesis de asociación entre el capital social y la discapacidad funcional se probó mediante el modelo de riesgos competitivos, que proporciona tasas de riesgo (hazard ratios, HR) e intervalos del 95% de confianza (IC95%). Tras el análisis multivariante, el capital social en su componente estructural se asoció con la discapacidad funcional. Los ancianos insatisfechos con su vecindario tenían un mayor riesgo de desarrollar una discapacidad funcional para las AIVD (HR = 2,36; IC95%: 1,31-4,24) en comparación con sus homólogos. Los resultados sugieren que la discapacidad funcional está asociada a otros aspectos además de la salud, lo que pone de manifiesto la necesidad de desarrollar políticas e intervenciones que abarquen aspectos relacionados con el entorno físico y social en el que se insertan las personas mayores.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:46:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-12-01 National Institute of General Medical Sciences As whole-genome sequencing (WGS) becomes the gold standard tool for studying population genomics and medical applications, data on diverse non-European and admixed individuals are still scarce. Here, we present a high-coverage WGS dataset of 1,171 highly admixed elderly Brazilians from a census-based cohort, providing over 76 million variants, of which ~2 million are absent from large public databases. WGS enables identification of ~2,000 previously undescribed mobile element insertions without previous description, nearly 5 Mb of genomic segments absent from the human genome reference, and over 140 alleles from HLA genes absent from public resources. We reclassify and curate pathogenicity assertions for nearly four hundred variants in genes associated with dominantly-inherited Mendelian disorders and calculate the incidence for selected recessive disorders, demonstrating the clinical usefulness of the present study. Finally, we observe that whole-genome and HLA imputation could be significantly improved compared to available datasets since rare variation represents the largest proportion of input from WGS. These results demonstrate that even smaller sample sizes of underrepresented populations bring relevant data for genomic studies, especially when exploring analyses allowed only by WGS. Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center University of São Paulo, SP Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology Biosciences Institute University of São Paulo, SP Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, SP Instituto da Criança Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP Orthopedic Research Labs Boston Children’s Hospital and Department of Genetics Harvard Medical School Laboratório DASA Laboratory of Genome Structure and Ageing European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing University Medical Center Groningen São Paulo State University (UNESP) Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics Laboratory School of Medicine, State of São Paulo São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Pathology School of Medicine, State of São Paulo Departamento de Química Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo Centro de Oncologia Molecular Hospital Sirio-Libanes Department of Biochemistry Institute of Chemistry University of São Paulo São Paulo Bioinformatics Graduate program University of São Paulo Departamento de Genética Ecologia e Evolução Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG Núcleo de Ensino e Pesquisa Instituto Mário Penna, MG Laboratorio de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecular Instituto Nacional de Salud Universidad de Huánuco Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics National Cancer Institute Instituto de Saúde Coletiva Universidade Federal da Bahia, BA Center for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health Institute Gonçalo Muniz Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, BA Instituto de Pesquisas René Rachou Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, MG Programa De Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia Universidade Federal de Pelotas, RS Mosaico Translational Genomics Initiative Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG Facultad de Salud Pública y Administración Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Instituto de Estudos Avançados Transdisciplinares Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG Medical-Surgical Nursing Department School of Nursing University of São Paulo, SP Epidemiology Department Public Health School University of São Paulo, SP São Paulo State University (UNESP) Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics Laboratory School of Medicine, State of São Paulo São Paulo State University (UNESP) Department of Pathology School of Medicine, State of São Paulo National Institute of General Medical Sciences: R01 GM075091

As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, understanding its sustained impact on healthcare access and utilization represents a vital task for decision-makers and health systems. This study investigates how three aspects of health care utilization (i.e., consultations for COVID-19 related symptoms, cancelation of previously scheduled care and hospitalisation in the past 30 days) relate to individual and municipal factors in a nationally-representative sample of Brazilians aged 50 and over.Data were obtained for 6584 participants from the second wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSI-Brazil in Portuguese) who were administered supplemental telephone interviews between September and October 2020. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and multivariate analysis using survey-weighted Poisson regression were applied to evaluate all three outcomes of interest (consultation, care cancelation, and hospitalisation). Predicted probabilities were also calculated to understand the overall effect of relevant covariates.Women were 76% less likely to seek care for COVID-19 symptoms (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.24, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.10, 0.53) and 82% more likely to have healthcare cancelled due to the pandemic (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.43, 2.33) than men. Those who live in municipalities with low coverage (40%) of community-based primary care (the Family Health Strategy) were more likely (OR = 1.80, 95% CI = 1.00, 3.22) to be hospitalised for any reason in the past 30 days and more likely to experience healthcare cancelation (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.02). Living in the Southeast and Midwest regions was associated with 62% and 78%, respectively, lower odds of previously scheduled care being cancelled due to the pandemic, in comparison to the North region (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.21, 0.67, and OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.14, 0.36). Living in the Southeast region was associated with over 7.61 higher odds of having sought care for COVID-19-related symptoms, relative to those living in the North (OR = 7.61, 95% CI = 2.16, 26.85).Results highlight the uneven impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care utilization between males and females, and across Brazilian municipalities and regions.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment and physical frailty are common among older adults and associated with a higher likelihood of adverse health outcomes. These two conditions frequently co-exist in the same individual as cognitive frailty, yet few studies have examined the impact of such comorbidity on clinical outcomes or underlying biological mechanisms. METHODS: A total of 1,340 older adults (age ≥ 60 years old) from the Bambui Cohort Study of Ageing, with a total follow-up of 10 years, were included in this study. Frailty was defined by the accumulation of deficit framework and cognitive impairment based on scores on the MMSE < 22. In addition, serum IL-6 levels were measured by cytometric bead array assay. RESULTS: Individuals classified with cognitive frailty had significantly higher serum IL-6 levels compared to the robust, cognitively unimpaired group. Those with cognitive frailty (aOR=1.97 [1.18–3.27] and pre-frailty and cognitive impairment (aOR=1.83 [1.24–2.69]) had the highest mortality risk over ten years of follow-up. Higher IL-6 levels were also independently associated with a higher mortality rate (aOR=1.37 [1.23–1.54]). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that cognitive Frailty indicates a vulnerability state and of increasing mortality risk. Our findings also suggested that pro-inflammatory abnormalities can be viewed as a central phenomenon underlying common age-related problems (e.g., cognitive impairment and Frailty) and outcomes (e.g., mortality).

Resumo Infecções crônicas podem contribuir com o processo de envelhecimento, mas isso ainda é pouco explorado na América Latina. O objetivo foi avaliar a prevalência e os fatores associados ao citomegalovírus (CMV), Herpes simples 1 (HSV-1), Chlamydia pneumoniae e Helicobacter pylori entre idosos. Participaram 1.320 indivíduos da linha de base da Coorte de Idosos de Bambuí. Foram avaliados anticorpos (IgG) para as infecções e variáveis exploratórias (sociodemográficas, comportamentos em saúde e condições de saúde). Utilizaram-se modelos de regressão de Poisson com variância robusta. A prevalência foi de 99,4% para CMV, 96,7% para HSV-1, 56,0% para C. pneumoniae e 70,5% para H. pylori. Os mais velhos, mulheres, fumantes, diabéticos, incapazes e com maiores níveis de IL-6 tinham maior prevalência de CMV. HSV-1 foi menos frequente entre as mulheres. Infecção por C. pneumoniae foi maior entre os mais velhos e diabéticos; e menor entre mulheres e os menos escolarizados. H. pylori foi menos frequente entre as mulheres e naqueles com maiores níveis de IL-1β, mas mais comuns entre os fumantes. Os achados mostram elevada prevalência de infecções crônicas e diferentes perfis epidemiológicos para cada patógeno, permitindo a detecção de grupos vulneráveis a essas infecções. Abstract Chronic infections can contribute to the aging process, but this issue is less studied in Latin America. The aim was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV), Herpes Simplex 1 (HSV-1), Chlamydia pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori among the elderly. A total of 1,320 individuals participated from the baseline of the Elderly Cohort of Bambuí. IgG antibodies against infections and explanatory variables (sociodemographic factors, health behaviors and health conditions) were evaluated. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used. Seroprevalence rates were 99.4% for CMV, 96.7% for HSV-1, 56% for C. pneumoniae and 70.5% for H. pylori. Elderly men, women, smokers, diabetics, the disabled and those with high levels of IL-6 had a higher prevalence of CMV. HSV-1 was less frequent among women. The prevalence of C. pneumoniae was higher at ages >75 and among diabetics; it was lower among women and individuals with less schooling. H. pylori was less frequent among women and those with detectable levels of IL-1β, but more common among smokers. The findings show a high prevalence of chronic infection and a different epidemiologic profile for each pathogen, making it possible to detect groups that are vulnerable to these infections.

The QT interval is an electrocardiographic measure representing the sum of ventricular depolarization (QRS duration) and repolarization (JT interval). Abnormalities of the QT interval are associated with potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmia. We conducted genome-wide multi-ancestry analyses in >250,000 individuals and identified 177, 156 and 121 independent loci for QT, JT and QRS, respectively, including a male-specific X-chromosome locus. Using gene-based rare-variant methods, we identified associations with Mendelian disease genes. Enrichments were observed in established pathways for QT and JT, with new genes indicated in insulin-receptor signalling and cardiac energy metabolism. In contrast, connective tissue components and processes for cell growth and extracellular matrix interactions were significantly enriched for QRS. We demonstrate polygenic risk score associations with atrial fibrillation, conduction disease and sudden cardiac death. Prioritization of druggable genes highlighted potential therapeutic targets for arrhythmia. Together, these results substantially advance our understanding of the genetic architecture of ventricular depolarization and repolarization.

Genetic and omics analyses frequently require independent observations, which is not guaranteed in real datasets. When relatedness cannot be accounted for, solutions involve removing related individuals (or observations) and, consequently, a reduction of available data. We developed a network-based relatedness-pruning method that minimizes dataset reduction while removing unwanted relationships in a dataset. It uses node degree centrality metric to identify highly connected nodes (or individuals) and implements heuristics that approximate the minimal reduction of a dataset to allow its application to large datasets. NAToRA outperformed two popular methodologies (implemented in software PLINK and KING) by showing the best combination of effective relatedness-pruning, removing all relatives while keeping the largest possible number of individuals in all datasets tested and also, with similar or lesser reduction in genetic diversity. NAToRA is freely available, both as a standalone tool that can be easily incorporated as part of a pipeline, and as a graphical web tool that allows visualization of the relatedness networks. NAToRA also accepts a variety of relationship metrics as input, which facilitates its use. We also present a genealogies simulator software used for different tests performed in the manuscript.

O presente trabalho objetivou examinar a associação entre a síndrome de fragilidade e a percepção de problemas em indicadores de atributos da atenção primária à saúde (APS) entre idosos brasileiros. É um estudo transversal envolvendo 5.432 participantes, com 60 anos ou mais, da primeira onda do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil), realizado entre 2015 e 2016. A fragilidade, variável independente, foi definida com base no marco teórico do fenótipo de fragilidade, e os indicadores de problemas em atributos da APS, variáveis dependentes, foram obtidos baseando-se em perguntas relacionadas ao uso de serviços de saúde. Acesso, longitudinalidade, coordenação, integralidade, orientação familiar e adequação cultural foram os atributos avaliados. Utilizou-se modelos de regressão logística ajustados por fatores predisponentes, facilitadores e de necessidade de uso de serviços de saúde para a análise dos dados. Entre os participantes, 55,1% eram do sexo feminino, 57,9% tinham entre 60 e 69 anos e 51,8% referiram multimorbidade. Idosos frágeis e pré-frágeis representaram 13,4% e 54,5% da amostra, respectivamente. Resultados da análise multivariada mostraram que os idosos frágeis em comparação com os robustos apresentaram mais chances de apontar problemas de acesso (OR = 1,45; IC95%: 1,08-1,93), longitudinalidade (OR = 1,54; IC95%: 1,19-2,00) e integralidade (OR = 1,45; IC95%: 1,14-1,85), além de maior número de problemas em atributos da APS (OR = 1,38; IC95%: 1,05-1,82, para 5 ou mais). O estudo sugere a ocorrência de iniquidades na assistência prestada pela APS brasileira aos idosos frágeis, particularmente no âmbito dos atributos acesso, longitudinalidade e integralidade. This study aimed to examine the association between frailty syndrome and the perception of problems in indicators of attributes in primary healthcare (PHC) among elderly Brazilians. This was a cross-sectional study with 5,432 participants 60 years or older in the first wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brasil), conducted in 2015 and 2016. Frailty, the independent variable, was defined according to the theoretical framework of the frailty phenotype, and the indicators of problems in PHC attributes, the dependent variables, were obtained from questions related to health services use. Access, longitudinal care, coordination, comprehensiveness, family orientation, and cultural adequacy were the target attributes. For the data analysis, logistic regression models were used, adjusted for predisposing, enabling, and need factors for use of health services. Among the participants, 55.1% were females, 57.9% were 60 to 69 years of age, and 51.8% reported multimorbidity. Frail and pre-frail elders accounted for 13.4% and 54.5% of the sample, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that frail elders (compared to robust elders) showed higher odds of reporting problems with access (OR = 1.45; 95%CI: 1.08-1.93), longitudinal care (OR = 1.54; 95%CI: 1.19-2.00), and comprehensive care (OR = 1.45; 95%CI: 1.14-1.85), in addition to more problems with attributes of PHC (OR = 1.38; 95%CI: 1.05-1.82, for 5 or more). The study suggests the occurrence of inequities in the care provided by Brazilian PHC for frail elders, particularly in the attributes of access, longitudinal care, and comprehensiveness. El objetivo de este trabajo fue examinar la asociación entre el síndrome de fragilidad y la percepción de problemas en indicadores de atributos de la atención primaria a la salud (APS) entre ancianos brasileños. Se trata de un estudio transversal implicando a 5.432 participantes, con 60 años o más, del primer grupo del Estudio Longitudinal de la Salud entre Ancianos Brasileños (ELSI-Brasil), realizado entre 2015 y 2016. La fragilidad -variable independiente- fue definida a partir del marco teórico del fenotipo de fragilidad, y los indicadores de problemas en atributos de la APS, variables dependientes, se obtuvieron a partir de preguntas relacionadas con el uso de servicios de salud. Acceso, longitudinalidad, coordinación, integralidad, orientación familiar y adecuación cultural fueron los atributos evaluados. Se utilizaron modelos de regresión logística ajustados por factores predisponentes, facilitadores, y de necesidad de uso de servicios de salud para análisis de datos. Entre los participantes, un 55,1% eran de sexo femenino, un 57,9% tenían entre 60 y 69 años y un 51,8% informaron de multimorbilidad. Los ancianos frágiles y prefrágiles representaron un 13,4% y un 54,5% de la muestra, respectivamente. Los resultados del análisis multivariado mostraron que los ancianos frágiles, en comparación con los fuertes, tuvieron más oportunidades de apuntar problemas de acceso (OR = 1,45; IC95%: 1,08-1,93), longitudinalidad (OR = 1,54; IC95%: 1,19-2,00) e integralidad (OR = 1,45; IC95%: 1,14-1,85), además de un mayor número de problemas en atributos de la APS (OR = 1,38; IC95%: 1,05-1,82, para 5 o más). El estudio sugiere la ocurrencia de inequidades en la asistencia prestada por la APS brasileña a ancianos frágiles, particularmente en el ámbito de los atributos acceso, longitudinalidad e integralidad.

To determine prevalence and factors associated with intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among older Brazilians.This was a cross-sectional study based on telephone interviews with participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) aged 60 years and over, conducted in 70 municipalities in March 2021.Among the 4,364 participants (mean age = 70.1 years), 91.8% intended to get vaccinated or had already been vaccinated, 2.5% did not intend to get vaccinated and 5.7% were undecided. Participants living in the North and Southeast regions were more likely to want to get vaccinated, as were those with two or more chronic diseases. Those who learned about COVID-19 from friends/family/social media were more likely to be undecided about vaccination (odds ratio = 3.15; 95%CI 1.28;7.77).The study identified one of the highest prevalence of intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 described in the literature to date.Determinar a prevalência e fatores associados à intenção de se vacinar contra a COVID-19 entre idosos brasileiros.Estudo seccional, baseado em entrevistas telefônicas de participantes do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (60 anos ou mais), conduzidas em 70 municípios, em março de 2021. As análises foram realizadas mediante regressão logística multinomial.Entre 4.364 participantes (idade média = 70,1 anos), 91,8% pretendiam se vacinar ou já haviam sido vacinados, 2,5% não tinham essa intenção e 5,7% estavam indecisos. Residentes do Norte e Sudeste brasileiros apresentaram maiores propensões para se vacinar, assim como aqueles com duas ou mais doenças crônicas. Os que se informam sobre a COVID-19 com amigos/familiares/mídia social foram mais propensos a estarem indecisos acerca da vacinação (odds ratio = 3,15; IC95% 1,28;7,77).Identificou-se uma das mais altas prevalências da intenção de se vacinar contra a COVID-19 descritas até a presente data.Determinar la prevalencia y factores asociados a la intención de vacunarse contra el COVID-19 en ancianos brasileños.Estudio seccional basado em entrevistas telefónicas con participantes del Estudio longitudinal de la salud del anciano brasileño con 60 años o más, realizadas en 70 municipalidades es en marzo de 2021.Entre los 4.364 participantes (edad promedio = 70,1 años), el 91,8% tenía la intención de vacunarse o ya lo había hecho, el 2,5% no tienen esta intención y el 5,7% está indeciso. Los residentes de las regiones Norte y Sudeste era más propenso a vacunarse, al igual que aquellos con dos o más enfermedades crónicas. Los que se enteraron del COVID-19 a través de amigos/familiares/redes sociales estaban más indecisos sobre la vacunación (odds ratio = 3,15; IC95% 1,28;7,77).Los resultados muestran una de las mayores prevalencias de intención de vacunación contra el COVID-19 descritas en la literatura hasta la fecha.

Chronic bacterial infections are associated with changes in the immunosenescence process and immunological biomarkers can assist in monitoring these changes. The identification of this immunological profile is important because Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections are important factors of morbidity and mortality among the older adults. This study aimed to identify changes in the immunological profile in the presence of C. pneumoniae and H. pylori infections among community-dwelling older adults. This is a cross-sectional study that used data from 1432 participants from the Bambui Cohort Study of Aging, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) for C. pneumoniae and H. pylori was considered a dependent variable and assessed in the participants' serum using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In assessing the immunological profile, the following inflammatory markers were considered: CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL5, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, TNF, and CRP. Associations were assessed by logistic regression, estimating odds ratios and confidence intervals (95%) using the Stata® V.13.1 software. The seroprevalence of anti-C. pneumoniae and anti-H. pylori antibodies was 55.9% and 70.3%, respectively. While high levels of anti-C. pneumoniae antibodies were associated with higher concentrations of CXCL10 and IL-10, higher levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were inversely associated with the titration of anti-H. pylori antibodies. The results characterize immunological profiles associated with these chronic infections and reinforce the potential effects of biomarkers on infections by these bacteria and on the immunosenescence process.

This study aimed to investigate the association between social capital and functional disability, based on a longitudinal perspective, using data from the cohort of older adults from Bambuí, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The baseline of this study was composed of all surviving and disability-free - up until the seventh year of follow-up (2004) - older adults who were followed up until 2011. The outcome variable was functional disability for basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), separately analyzed. Social capital was the exposure of interest, measured through its cognitive (cohesion and social support) and structural (social participation and satisfaction with the neighborhood) components. Sociodemographic variables, health conditions, and lifestyle habits were used for adjustment purposes, and the occurrence of death was considered a competitive event. The hypothesis of association between social capital and functional disability was tested using the competing risk model, which provides hazard ratios (HR) and a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). After multivariate analysis, social capital - in its structural component - was associated with functional disability. Older adults who were dissatisfied with the neighborhood had a higher risk of developing functional disability for IADL (HR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.31-4.24), in relation to their counterparts. This study results suggest that functional disability is associated with aspects other than health, evidencing the need for the development of policies and interventions that support aspects related to the physical and social environment in which older adults live.O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar a associação entre capital social e a incapacidade funcional, numa perspectiva longitudinal, utilizando dados da coorte de idosos de Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brasil. A linha de base do estudo foi composta por todos os idosos sobreviventes e livres de incapacidade no sétimo ano de seguimento (2004), acompanhados até 2011. A variável desfecho foi a incapacidade funcional para as ABVD (atividades básicas de vida diária) e AIVD (atividades instrumentais de vida diária), analisadas separadamente. A exposição de interesse foi o capital social, mensurado por meio de seus componentes cognitivo (coesão e suporte social) e estrutural (participação social e satisfação com a vizinhança). Variáveis sociodemográficas, de condições de saúde e de hábitos de vida foram utilizadas para efeitos de ajuste, e a ocorrência de óbito foi considerada evento competitivo. A hipótese de associação entre capital social e incapacidade funcional foi testada por meio do modelo de riscos competitivos, que fornece hazard ratios (HR) e intervalos de 95% de confiança (IC95%). Após a análise multivariada, o capital social, em seu componente estrutural, esteve associado à incapacidade funcional. Idosos insatisfeitos com a vizinhança apresentaram risco maior de desenvolver incapacidade funcional para AIVD (HR = 2,36; IC95%: 1,31-4,24), em relação às suas contrapartes. Os resultados desse estudo sugerem que a incapacidade funcional está associada a outros aspectos que não somente da saúde, evidenciando a necessidade de desenvolver políticas e intervenções que abarquem aspectos ligados ao ambiente físico e social em que o idoso está inserido.El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la asociación entre el capital social y la discapacidad funcional desde una perspectiva longitudinal, utilizando datos de la cohorte de ancianos de Bambuí, Minas Gerais, Brasil. La línea de base de este estudio estaba compuesta por todos los supervivientes de edad avanzada y sin discapacidad en el séptimo año de seguimiento (2004), seguidos hasta 2011. La variable de resultado fue la discapacidad funcional para las ABVD (actividades básicas de la vida diaria) y las AIVD (actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria), analizadas por separado. La exposición de interés fue el capital social, medido a través de sus componentes cognitivo (cohesión y apoyo social) y estructural (participación social y satisfacción con el barrio). Se utilizaron variables sociodemográficas, de condiciones de salud y de estilo de vida para los efectos de ajuste, y la ocurrencia de la muerte se consideró un evento competitivo. La hipótesis de asociación entre el capital social y la discapacidad funcional se probó mediante el modelo de riesgos competitivos, que proporciona tasas de riesgo (hazard ratios, HR) e intervalos del 95% de confianza (IC95%). Tras el análisis multivariante, el capital social en su componente estructural se asoció con la discapacidad funcional. Los ancianos insatisfechos con su vecindario tenían un mayor riesgo de desarrollar una discapacidad funcional para las AIVD (HR = 2,36; IC95%: 1,31-4,24) en comparación con sus homólogos. Los resultados sugieren que la discapacidad funcional está asociada a otros aspectos además de la salud, lo que pone de manifiesto la necesidad de desarrollar políticas e intervenciones que abarquen aspectos relacionados con el entorno físico y social en el que se insertan las personas mayores.

Resumo O objetivo foi analisar o padrão de consumo de álcool entre idosos (60 anos ou mais) brasileiros e sua associação com fatores sociodemográficos, hábitos de vida e condições de saúde. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, realizado com 10.537 idosos (90,1%) participantes da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2013. O consumo de bebidas alcoólicas foi classificado em não uso, uso leve/ moderado e uso de risco. Utilizou-se o modelo de regressão multinomial para o estudo dos fatores associados. A prevalência para uso leve/moderado e de risco foi de 9,4% (IC95%: 8,4-10,6%) e 4,6% (IC95%:4,0-5,3%), respectivamente. Os dois padrões de consumo foram inversamente associados à idade, mais frequentes entre homens, mais escolarizados, fumantes e que praticavam atividade física. O consumo leve/moderado foi menos frequente entre não brancos e entre aqueles com relato de AVC e diabetes, enquanto o consumo de risco foi menos frequente entre idosos com diagnóstico para doenças do coração e mais frequentes entre os que reportaram depressão. Esse resultado identifica perfis de maior vulnerabilidade, com pequenas diferenças entre os padrões de consumo. Essas informações devem ser consideradas na elaboração de propostas para promoção de hábitos saudáveis e controle do abuso de álcool em idosos.

BACKGROUND Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is an epidermal autoimmune disease, characterized by the presence of autoantibodies against the desmosomal protein desmoglein 1. Genetic and environmental factors contribute to PF, a complex disease that is endemic in Brazil and Colombia and neighbouring countries, and in Tunisia. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may participate in gene regulation by interacting with DNA, proteins and other RNAs. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has recently been recognized as an important coplayer in the onset or progression of complex diseases. In addition, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in lncRNA genes have been associated with differential risk to cancer, autoimmunity and infection. OBJECTIVES Here, we aimed to investigate whether SNPs in lncRNA genes are associated with differential susceptibility to endemic PF. MATERIALS AND METHODS We integrated data from the lncRNA SNP database with genome-wide genotype data obtained for 229 patients and 6681 controls. We tested the association between endemic PF and 2080 SNPs located in lncRNAs applying logistic regression. RESULTS The most significantly associated SNP was rs7144332 (OR = 1·63, P = 2·8 × 10-6 ), located in the lncRNA gene AL110292·1. Results for five other SNPs were suggestive of association (P < 0·001). In silico analysis indicated that five of the six SNPs impact transcription, three may influence lncRNA's secondary structure, and three may alter microRNA-lncRNA interactions. CONCLUSIONS We showed, for the first time, that variation in lncRNA genes may influence pemphigus pathogenesis. Our findings highlight the importance of lncRNA variation in autoimmune and possibly other complex diseases and suggest polymorphisms for functional validation.

Background Research on discrimination and health focused on older adults has been scarce, comparatively with younger and middle-aged adults. Considering where people live matters, accurate measures of perceived discrimination might consider how the place of residence interferes on discriminatory experiences. This study aimed to assess the association between perceived discrimination and urban/rural place of residence among a representative sample of older adults in Brazil. Methods Data came from the baseline of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted in 2015/2016, with individuals aged 50 years and older. Perceived Discrimination was measured by means of the following question: “In the past 12 months have you felt a victim of any type of discrimination” with five possible answers: (1)“when you sought medical services or health care?”, (2)“in social gatherings?”, (3)“in the work place?”, (4)“within the family?”, (5)“due to where you live?”. Participants who answered yes for any of the five domains were coded as having reported an experience of discrimination. The main exposure variable was the urban-rural classification of the households, carried out according to the methods employed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics during the 2010 Population Census. Other covariates included: age, sex, skin color, household wealth and education. Multiple Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence interval for the association between discrimination and independent variables. Results Prevalence of any perceived discrimination among Brazilian older adults was 16.8%. Regardless the place of residence (either urban or rural), participants reported health care settings as the most common domain where discriminatory experiences occurred and the work place as the least common. According to the adjusted model, perceived discrimination was significantly higher among urban dwellers when compared to their rural counterparts, independent of sociodemographic characteristics, health status and neighborhood social environment. The outcome was significant associated with skin color, education and health status. Conclusions Urban environment plays a core role in perceived discrimination and health care settings constitute the most common domain where discriminatory experiences occurred. Our findings may contribute to fulfill the knowledge gap on discrimination among older adults living in developing countries. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12877-019-1076-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives: This study aimed at estimating the pre-pandemic and pandemic prevalence of loneliness and investigating the association of loneliness with social disconnectedness during social distancing strategies in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic period.Methods: We used data from the ELSI COVID-19 initiative with participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), which comprised 4,431 participants aged 50 years and over. Loneliness (hardly ever/some of the time/often) was assessed by the question "In the past 30 days, how often did you feel alone/lonely?". Social disconnectedness included information on social contacts through virtual talking (i.e. telephone, Skype, WhatsApp, or social media) and outside-home meetings with people living in another household. Covariates included sociodemographic and health related characteristics. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) with their 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: The overall prevalence of loneliness during the pandemic was 23.9% (95% CI 20.7-27.5); lower than in the pre-pandemic period (32.8%; 95% CI 28.6-37.4). In the pandemic period, 20.1% (95% CI 16.9-23.6) reported some of the time feeling lonely and 3.9% (95% CI 3.1-4.8) reported often feeling lonely. In the fully adjusted model, virtual talking disconnectedness (OR=1.67; 95% CI 1.09-2.56) was positively associated with some of the time feeling lonely and outside-home disconnectedness (OR=0.33; 95% CI 0.18-0.60) was negatively associated with often feeling lonely.Conclusion: Individuals with virtual talking disconnectedness and without outside-home disconnectedness are at higher risk of loneliness during the time of COVID-19 pandemic. Stimulating virtual talking connectedness might have the potential to diminish loneliness despite steep outside-home disconnectedness.

Background:Genetics influence the vulnerability to alcohol use disorders, and among the implicated genes, three previous studies have provided evidences for the involvement ofLRRK2in alcohol dependence (AD).LRRK2expression is broadly dysregulated in postmortem brain from AD humans, as well as in the brain of mice with alcohol dependent-like behaviors and in a zebrafish model of alcohol preference. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of variants in theLRRK2gene with AD in multiethnic populations from South and North America.Methods:Alcohol-screening questionnaires [such as CAGE and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)] were used to determine individual risk of AD. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were done in three independent populations (898 individuals from Bambuí, Brazil; 3,015 individuals from Pelotas, Brazil; and 1,316 from the United States). Linkage disequilibrium and conditional analyses, as well asin silicofunctional analyses, were also conducted.Results:FourLRRK2variants were significantly associated with AD in our discovery cohort (Bambuí): rs4768231, rs4767971, rs7307310, and rs1465527. Two of these variants (rs4768231 and rs4767971) were replicated in both Pelotas and US cohorts. The consistent association signal (at theLRRK2locus) found in populations with different genetic backgrounds reinforces the relevance of our findings.Conclusion:Taken together, these results support the notion that genetic variants in theLRRK2locus are risk factors for AD in humans.

Background: Estimates of the burden of cardio-metabolic risk factors in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) rely on relative risks (RRs) from non-LAC countries. Whether these RRs apply to LAC remains unknown. Methods: We pooled LAC cohorts. We estimated RRs per unit of exposure to body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC) and non-HDL cholesterol on fatal (31 cohorts, n=168,287) and non-fatal (13 cohorts, n=27,554) cardiovascular diseases, adjusting for regression dilution bias. We used these RRs and national data on mean risk factor levels to estimate the number of cardiovascular deaths attributable to non-optimal levels of each risk factor. Results: Our RRs for SBP, FPG and TC were like those observed in cohorts conducted in high-income countries; however, for BMI, our RRs were consistently smaller in people below 75 years of age. Across risk factors, we observed smaller RRs among older ages. Non-optimal SBP was responsible for the largest number of attributable cardiovascular deaths ranging from 38 per 100,000 women and 54 men in Peru, to 261 (Dominica, women) and 282 (Guyana, men). For non-HDL cholesterol, the lowest attributable rate was for women in Peru (21) and men in Guatemala (25), and the largest in men (158) and women (142) from Guyana. Interpretation: RRs for BMI from studies conducted in high-income countries may overestimate disease burden metrics in LAC; conversely, RRs for SBP, FPG and TC from LAC cohorts are similar to those estimated from cohorts in high-income countries. Funding: Wellcome Trust (214185/Z/18/Z)

Background Brazil and England are 2 countries at different stages in their demographic, epidemiological, and nutritional transitions and with distinct socioeconomic and politic contexts, but with similar universal health systems. We aimed to examine disability and its association with objective anthropometric indicators of nutritional status, including BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio, comparing older Brazilian and English adults. Methods We used cross-sectional data from 2 nationally representative aging studies. For Brazil, we included 9412 participants who participated in the baseline (2015-2016) of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). The English data were from 8024 participants of the wave 6 (2012-2013) of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Disability was defined as difficulty to perform at least 1 activity of daily living. We used logistic regression models to examine the association between anthropometric indicators and disability, adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, considering the interaction term between each anthropometric indicator and country. Results All health-related characteristics were worse in Brazil than England, although the prevalence of disability was similar among Brazilian (17.85%) and English (16.27%) older adults. Fully adjusted models showed statistically significant interaction terms between country and anthropometric indicators. The strength of the associations in Brazil was weaker compared with England. All anthropometric indicators were positively associated with disability: elevated BMI, in Brazil (OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.51) and in England (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.51, 2.14); elevated waist circumference, in Brazil (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.44) and in England (OR: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.51, 2.37); and elevated waist-to-height ratio, in Brazil (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.52) and in England (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.37, 2.44). Conclusions Elevated BMI and waist circumference increased the odds of disability in both populations. However, these associations were stronger in England than in Brazil.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of genetic loci associated with cross-sectional blood pressure (BP) traits; however, GWAS based on longitudinal BP have been underexplored. We performed ethnic-specific and trans-ethnic GWAS meta-analysis using longitudinal and cross-sectional BP data of 33,720 individuals from five cohorts in the US and one in Brazil. In addition to identifying several known loci, we identified thirteen novel loci with nine based on longitudinal and four on cross-sectional BP traits. Most of the novel loci were ethnic- or study-specific, with the majority identified in African Americans (AA). Four of these discoveries showed additional evidence of association in independent datasets, including an intergenic variant (rs4060030, p = 7.3 × 10–9) with reported regulatory function. We observed a high correlation between the meta-analysis results for baseline and longitudinal average BP (rho = 0.48). BP trajectory results were more correlated with those of average BP (rho = 0.35) than baseline BP(rho = 0.18). Heritability estimates trended higher for longitudinal traits than for cross-sectional traits, providing evidence for different genetic architectures. Furthermore, the longitudinal data identified up to 20% more BP known associations than did cross-sectional data. Our analyses of longitudinal BP data in diverse ethnic groups identified novel BP loci associated with BP trajectory, indicating a need for further longitudinal GWAS on BP and other age-related traits.

This article aims to evaluate the joint and separate association between abdominal and general adiposity indicators and mortality. Data was collected from 1,366 older adults in the Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging with complete information for all variables of interest. The outcome variable was all-cause time until death; exposure variables were a body shape index (ABSI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body mass index (BMI), assessed at the beginning of the study, and at the 3rd, 5th and 11th year of follow-up. Association between the quartiles of anthropometric indicators and mortality was calculated using an extended Cox proportional hazards model and adjusted for socioeconomic and behavioral confounding factors. Older adults in the 4th ABSI quartile had a higher risk of mortality regardless of BMI (1.27; 95%CI: 1.01-1.58), but this association was not observed in sensitivity analyses. Older adults in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th BMI quartiles had a lower risk of mortality, even when adjusted for WC or ABSI. WC and WHtR showed no association consistent with all-cause mortality after adjustment for confounding factors. Considering the loss of significance in the sensitivity analyses, ABSI’s predictive capacity for mortality is still weak. Thus, adopting ABSI in clinical practice or in epidemiological surveys, in conjunction or replacing BMI and WC, requires more in-depth studies. O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a associação isolada e independente entre indicadores de adiposidade abdominal e índice de massa corporal (IMC) e mortalidade. O estudo usou dados de 1.366 idosos que tinham informações completos para todas as variáveis independentes no Estudo de Coorte de Idosos de Bambuí, Brasil. A variável dependente foi o tempo até o óbito por todas as causas, e as variáveis de exposição foram o índice de forma corporal (a body shape index - ABSI), circunferência de cintura (CC), razão cintura/estatura (RCE) e IMC, medidos na linha de base e aos 3º, 5º e 11º anos de seguimento. A associação entre os quartis de indicadores antropométricos e a mortalidade foi investigada usando um modelo estendido de riscos proporcionais de Cox ajustado por fatores de confusão socioeconômicos e comportamentais. Os idosos do 4º quartil do ABSI mostraram maior risco de mortalidade, independentemente de IMC (1,27; IC95%: 1,01-1,58), mas a associação não foi mantida nas análises de sensibilidade. Os idosos do 2º, 3º e 4º quartis de IMC mostraram risco menor de mortalidade, associação esta que foi mantida após ajustar para CC ou ABSI. Por outro lado, a CC e a RCE não mostraram associações consistentes com a mortalidade geral depois de ajustar para fatores de confusão. As análises mostraram que a capacidade preditiva do ABSI para mortalidade ainda é fraca, considerando a perda de significância nas análises de sensibilidade. Portanto, a possibilidade de adoção do ABSI na prática clínica ou em inquéritos epidemiológicos para complementar ou substituir o IMC e CC ainda precisa ser explorada com maior profundidade em estudos futuros. El objetivo de este artículo es evaluar la asociación conjunta y separada entre los indicadores de adiposidad abdominal y general, y la mortalidad. Los datos se recogieron de 1.366 adultos mayores en el estudio de Cohorte Ancianos de Bambuí, Brasil, con información completa para todas las variables de interés. El resultado de la variable fue por cualquier causa hasta la muerte; las variables de exposición fueron índice de forma corporal (a body shape index - ABSI por sus siglas en inglés), circunferencia de cintura (WC), proporción cintura-altura (WHtR) e índice de masa corporal (BMI), evaluados al principio del estudio, y en el 3º, 5º y 11º año de seguimiento. Se calculó la asociación entre los cuartiles de indicadores antropométricos y mortalidad, usando un modelo extendido de Cox de riesgos proporcionales, y ajustado por factores de confusión socioeconómicos y comportamentales. Los adultos más viejos en el 4º cuartil ABSI tuvieron un riesgo mayor de mortalidad, independientemente del BMI (1,27; 95%CI: 1,01-1,58), pero esta asociación no fue observada en los análisis de sensibilidad. Los adultos más viejos en los 2º, 3º y 4º cuartiles de BMI tuvieron un riesgo más bajo de mortalidad, incluso cuando fue ajustado por WC o ABSI. WC y WHtR no mostraron asociación consistente con todas las causas de mortalidad tras el ajuste para factores de confusión. Considerando la pérdida de significación en los análisis de sensibilidad, la capacidad predictiva de ABSI para la mortalidad es todavía débil. De este modo, adoptar ABSI en la práctica clínica o en encuestas epidemiológicas, en conjunción o reemplazando BMI y WC, requiere más estudios en profundidad.

Mauricio Lima Barreto - Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Goncalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil. Documento produzido em parceria ou por autor vinculado a Fiocruz, mas nao consta a informacao no documento.

Resumo O objetivo foi estimar a prevalência e os fatores associados à queda grave em idosos brasileiros. Estudo transversal, incluindo 10.537 idosos participantes da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde (2013). A variável dependente foi relato de queda grave último. As variáveis independentes incluíram, hierarquicamente, fatores sociodemográficos, comportamentais, condição de saúde e capacidade funcional. Foi utilizada regressão logística para obter os odds ratio (OR) e os respectivos intervalos de confiança (95%), utilizando-se o programa Stata 13.1. A prevalência de queda grave foi de 7,5% (IC95%: 6,7-8,3) e as maiores chances foram entre mulheres (OR: 1,35; IC95%: 1,03-1,77), 70 a 79 anos (OR: 1,47; IC95%: 1,12-1,95) e 80 anos e mais (OR: 2,00; IC95%: 1,46-2,74), vivendo sem cônjuge (OR: 1,37; IC95%: 1,08-1,74), sedentários no lazer (OR: 1,55; IC95%: 1,06-2,26), com multimorbidades (OR: 1,54; IC95%: 1,19-2,00), dificuldades no sono (OR: 2,18; IC95%: 1,65-2,88), limitações em atividades básicas de vida diária (OR: 2,25; IC95%: 1,63-3,10) e uso de dispositivo para marcha (OR: 1,89; IC95%: 1,30-2,73). A prevalência de queda grave foi elevada e multifatorial, permitindo a identificação de perfis de maior vulnerabilidade, o que deve ser considerado no direcionamento de políticas públicas para intervenções específicas. Abstract The scope of this study was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with severe falls among elderly Brazilians. It included a transversal study of 10,537 elderly individuals who participated in the National Health Survey (2013). The dependent variable was a report of severe falls in the past year. The independent variables comprised, hierarchically, socio-demographic factors, behavior, health status and functional capacity. Logistic regression was used to obtain the odds ratio (OR) and the confidence interval (95%CI), using the 13.1 Stata program. The prevalence of severe falls was 7.5% (95%CI: 6.7-8.3) and the highest odds were among women (OR: 1.35; 95%CI: 1.03-1.77), 70 to 79 years of age (OR: 1.47; 95%CI: 1.12-1.95) and 80 years and above (OR: 2.00; 95%CI: 1.46-2.74), living without a spouse/partner (OR: 1.37; 95%CI: 1.08-1.74), sedentary in leisure time (OR: 1.55; 95%CI: 1.06-2.26), having multimorbities (OR: 1.54; 95%CI: 1.19-2.00), sleeping difficulties (OR: 2.18; 95%CI: 1.65-2.88), limitations in daily activities (OR: 2.25; 95%CI 1.63 -3.10) and use of a walking aid (OR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.30-2.73). The prevalence of severe falls was high and multifactorial, enabling the identification of profiles of greater vulnerability, which should be considered in public policies for specific interventions.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between unhealthy lifestyle factors (individual and combined) and multimorbidity stratified by sex, in a national sample representative of Brazilians aged 50 years or older. Data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) baseline, conducted in 2015–2016, were used. Multimorbidity was defined by the existence of two or more of the 19 chronic diseases. Four unhealthy lifestyle factors were considered: (1) at-risk alcohol consumption, (2) current or past smoking, (3) insufficient physical activity and (4) below-recommended consumption of fruits and vegetables. The association between unhealthy lifestyle factors, individual and combined, was assessed by logistic regression. Among the 7918 study participants, the prevalence of multimorbidity was 75.8% (95% CI 73.7–77.7) among women and 58.7% (95% CI 56.0–61.3) among men. Among women, none of the analyzed behaviors presented an independent and statistically significant association (p

As whole-genome sequencing (WGS) becomes the gold standard tool for studying population genomics and medical applications, data on diverse non-European and admixed individuals are still scarce. Here, we present a high-coverage WGS dataset of 1,171 highly admixed elderly Brazilians from a census-based cohort, providing over 76 million variants, of which ~2 million are absent from large public databases. WGS enables identification of ~2,000 previously undescribed mobile element insertions without previous description, nearly 5 Mb of genomic segments absent from the human genome reference, and over 140 alleles from HLA genes absent from public resources. We reclassify and curate pathogenicity assertions for nearly four hundred variants in genes associated with dominantly-inherited Mendelian disorders and calculate the incidence for selected recessive disorders, demonstrating the clinical usefulness of the present study. Finally, we observe that whole-genome and HLA imputation could be significantly improved compared to available datasets since rare variation represents the largest proportion of input from WGS. These results demonstrate that even smaller sample sizes of underrepresented populations bring relevant data for genomic studies, especially when exploring analyses allowed only by WGS.

Objectives This study evaluates the association between normative and subjective oral health measures and poor self-reported sleep quality among community-dwelling older adults in Brazil. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging. The dependent variable was the poor sleep quality. Independent variables of interest included number of teeth and self-reported impact of oral health on eating/chewing and on maintaining emotional stability. Results Poor sleep quality was reported by 17.8 (95% CI 16.6; 19.2) of the participants, 29% of the participants were edentulous, and 30% had 20 or more teeth. Impacts of oral health on eating and maintaining emotional stability was found among 33.3% and 20% of the older adults, respectively. After adjusting for all oral health measures and covariates, the magnitude of the associations between the number of teeth and sleep quality was attenuated. Sleep quality was related to oral health impacts on eating (OR 1.19 [95% CI 1.00; 1.41]) and on emotional stability (OR 1.51 [95% CI 1.21; 1.87]). Conclusions This study found an association between oral health and sleep quality emphasizing the importance of oral health to general health.

This study sought to assess the adherence to preventive measures among the elderly more prone to severe forms of COVID-19, and the association and interaction with social support. It is a cross-sectional study conducted with a sample of 3,477 participants of the telephone survey of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-COVID-19 initiative), who reported going out of the home in the past week. The adherence was based on the frequency of leaving the house, the need to venture outside the home, use of masks, and sanitization of hands. Statistical analysis was based on the Poisson model with robust variance. Predisposing factors for severe forms of COVID-19 included age ≥65 years, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Social support included living arrangements and social distancing during the pandemic. Approximately 46% of the participants showed higher adherence, which was positively associated with the number of predisposing factors for severe forms of COVID-19. Social support was not associated with adherence, nor was this association modified after adjustments. The conclusion drawn is that higher adherence is concentrated among the elderly with greater predisposition to severe forms of COVID-19, irrespective of social support, albeit preventive measures should be adopted by all.Objetivou-se verificar a adesão às medidas de prevenção em idosos com maior predisposição a formas graves de COVID-19 e sua associação e interação com o apoio social. Trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado em amostra de 3.477 participantes do inquérito telefônico do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (iniciativa ELSI-COVID-19), que informaram ter saído de casa na semana anterior à realização do inquérito. A adesão foi aferida pela frequência com que saiu de casa, necessidade de sair de casa, uso de máscara e higienização das mãos. As análises basearam-se no modelo Poisson com variância robusta. Idade ≥ 65 anos, hipertensão, diabetes e obesidade foram considerados fatores predisponentes para formas graves de COVID-19. O apoio social incluiu o arranjo domiciliar e a conexão social na pandemia. Aproximadamente 46% apresentaram melhor adesão, que foi associada positivamente ao número de fatores predisponentes para formas graves. O apoio social não foi associado à adesão e não modificou essa associação, após ajustamentos. Conclui-se que a adesão às medidas de prevenção, que deveria ser estendida a todos, está concentrada nos idosos com maior predisposição a formas graves de COVID-19, independentemente do apoio social.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused over half a million deaths worldwide. Brazil has been particularly impacted, registering more than 1.3 million infections and 57,000 deaths by late June 2020. Aggregate numbers of cases are essential in modeling the epidemic and planning responses; however, more detailed analysis of risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are needed. Our study provides an initial examination of characteristics associated with receiving a doctor’s diagnosis of COVID-19 among a nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 50 and over. Data are derived from the second wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) and a telephone follow-up survey to ELSI-Brazil participants, known as the ELSI-COVID-19 initiative. The telephone survey was conducted between 26 May and 8 June 2020. Results show that about 2.4% (n = 70) of the sample reported being told by a doctor they had COVID-19, however, only about half of these individuals (n = 37) reported receiving a diagnostic confirmation from viral testing (RT-PCR). Demographic factors (aged 50-60 years), socioeconomic factors (lower household income), health-related factors (obesity, three or more chronic conditions), and geography (living in the Northern region of the country) were positively associated with reporting a COVID-19 diagnosis. Despite the descriptive and preliminary nature of these findings, results reported here suggest the need for more targeted approaches to enhance personal protection and provide greater viral testing options, especially for older, sicker and more vulnerable adults in Brazil.

We aimed to examine the relationship between Apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE*4) carriage on cognitive decline, and whether these associations were moderated by sex, baseline age, ethnicity, and vascular risk factors. Participants were 19,225 individuals aged 54–103 years from 15 longitudinal cohort studies with a mean follow-up duration ranging between 1.2 and 10.7 years. Two-step individual participant data meta-analysis was used to pool results of study-wise analyses predicting memory and general cognitive decline from carriage of one or two APOE*4 alleles, and moderation of these associations by age, sex, vascular risk factors, and ethnicity. Separate pooled estimates were calculated in both men and women who were younger (ie, 62 years) and older (ie, 80 years) at baseline. Results showed that APOE*4 carriage was related to faster general cognitive decline in women, and faster memory decline in men. A stronger dose-dependent effect was observed in older men, with faster general cognitive and memory decline in those carrying two versus one APOE*4 allele. Vascular risk factors were related to an increased effect of APOE*4 on memory decline in younger women, but a weaker effect of APOE*4 on general cognitive decline in older men. The relationship between APOE*4 carriage and memory decline was larger in older-aged Asians than Whites. In sum, APOE*4 is related to cognitive decline in men and women, although these effects are enhanced by age and carriage of two APOE*4 alleles in men, a higher numbers of vascular risk factors during the early stages of late adulthood in women, and Asian ethnicity.

Chronic infections, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), contribute to the inflammation process among older adults and are associated with the immunosenescence process. The aim was to identify the immunological profile associated with CMV and HSV-1 infections among older adults. This is a cross-sectional study, carried out with 1492 participants from the Bambui Cohort Study of Aging – Minas Gerais, Brazil. For analysis purposes, we considered the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) for CMV and HSV-1 in the participants' serum, assessed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); outcomes were defined by titration above the median (>160 UR/mL for HSV-1 and >399.5 U/mL for CMV). In order to assess the immunological profile, the following biomarkers were considered: IL-1beta, IL-10, IL-12, TNF, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL5, IL-6 and CRP; the first four being categorized as detectable levels or not, and the others using the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) method. The analysis was adjusted for sociodemographic variables, health behaviors and health conditions. The seroprevalence of anti CMV and anti HSV-1 antibodies was 99.4% and 97.0%, respectively. Higher concentrations of CXCL8 and CCL5 chemokines were associated with lower antibody titers for CMV, and higher concentrations of CXCL9, IL-6 and CRP were associated with higher levels of antibodies to CMV. Moreover, intermediate levels of CXCL10 were also associated with higher levels of antibodies to CMV. In HSV-1 infection, intermediate levels of CXCL9, CCL5 and IL-6 were less likely to have higher antibody titers for this infection. On the other hand, higher levels of CXCL10 and CRP were positively associated with higher antibody titers for HSV-1. The results describe important immunological changes and reinforce the potential effect of CMV and HSV-1 on the immunosenescence process.

Background Brazil is the world’s fifth most populous nation, and is currently experimenting a fast demographic aging process in a context of scarce resources and social inequalities. To understand the health profile of older adults in Brazil is fundamental for planning public policies. Methods The estimates were derived from data obtained through the collaboration between the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation of the University of Washington. The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics provided the population estimates. Data on causes of death came from the Mortality Information System. To calculate morbidity, population-based studies on the prevalence of diseases in Brazil were comprehensively searched, in addition to information obtained from national databases such as the Hospital Information System, the Outpatient Information System, and the Injury Information System. We presented the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 estimates among Brazilian older adults (60+ years old) for life expectancy at birth (LE), healthy life expectancy (HALE), cause-specific mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), from 2000 to 2017. Results LE at birth significantly increased from 71.3 years (95% UI to 70.9-71.8) to 75.2 years (95% UI 74.7-75.7). There was a trend of increasing HALE, from 62.2 years (95% UI 59.54-64.5) to 65.5 years (95% UI 62.6-68.0). The proportion of DALYs among older adults increased from 7.3 to 10.3%. Chronic noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death among middle aged and older adults, while Alzheimer’s disease is a leading cause only among older adults. Mood disorders, musculoskeletal pain, and hearing or vision losses are among the leading causes of disability. Conclusions The increase in LE and the decrease of the DALYs rates are probably results of the improvement of social conditions and health policies. However, the smaller increase of HALE than LE means that despite living more, people spend a substantial time of their old age with disability and illness. Preventable or potentially controllable diseases are responsible for most of the burden of disease among Brazilian older adults. Health investments are necessary to obtain longevity with quality of life in Brazil.

Objetivou-se medir a ocorrência de comportamentos de proteção para a COVID-19 e fatores sociodemográficos segundo a ocorrência de multimorbidade (MM) na população brasileira com 50 anos ou mais de idade. Foram utilizados dados de inquérito telefônico entre participantes do ELSI (Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros), conduzidas entre maio e junho de 2020. Avaliou-se o uso de medidas de prevenção não farmacológica para COVID-19, motivos para sair de casa segundo a presença de multimorbidade e variáveis sociodemográficas. Participaram do estudo 6.149 pessoas. Multimorbidade foi mais frequente no sexo feminino, em casados, na faixa etária 50-59 anos de idade e em moradores da zona urbana. A maior parte da população saiu de casa entre uma e duas vezes na última semana, aumentando segundo o número de morbidades (22,3% sem morbidades e 38% com MM). Sair de casa todos os dias teve menor ocorrência entre indivíduos com MM (10,3%) e 9,3% saíram de casa na última semana para obter atendimento de saúde. Higienização de mãos (>98%) e sempre usar máscara ao sair de casa (>96%), foram hábitos quase universais. Observou-se maior adesão ao isolamento social entre as mulheres com multimorbidade quando comparada com os homens (RP=1,49, IC95%: 1,23; 1,79); Esta adesão aumentou proporcionalmente com a idade e inversamente ao nível de escolaridade. O comportamento de proteção em pessoas com MM parece ser maior em relação aos demais, embora questões relacionadas ao isolamento social e cuidado em saúde mereçam ser destacadas. Esses achados podem ser úteis na customização de estratégias de enfrentamento atual da pandemia.

To analyze whether the older adults with difficulty or need of help to perform basic or instrumentals activities of daily living are more socially distanced in times of COVID-19. A total of 4,035 older adults participated in the telephone interviews from the second wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). Difficulty, need and receiving help were classified into: (1) independents; (2) had difficulty without need for care; (3) had difficulty, needed and have received care from someone within their household; (4) had difficulty, needed and have received care from someone outside their household; and (5) had difficulty and needed care but did not receive it. Social distancing was categorized as follows: did not leave their houses in the last 7 days, left their houses for essential activities and went out for non-essential activities. Multinomial regression model adjusted for age, sex, schooling and great geographical region was performed. Older adults who had difficulty, needed and have received help from within their homes (odds ratio - OR = 2.34 95%CI: 1.25-4.39) or from outside their homes (OR = 3.94; 95%CI: 2.24-6.92) were more socially distanced. Age increased the odds of not going out (OR = 1.06; 95%CI: 1.03-1.09) while be men reduced it (OR = 0.48; 95%CI: 0.33-0.70). Living in the South of Brazil has increased the odds of the respondents going out for essential activities (OR = 1.77; 95%CI: 1.01-3.10). Older adults who had difficulty, needed and have received help from within or outside their homes did not leave their homes in the last 7 days. Even with social distancing, these older adults can not have their exposure to COVID-19 reduced, weakening the theory of selective social distancing.Analisar se idosos com dificuldade ou necessidade de ajuda para desempenhar atividades básicas ou instrumentais de vida diária estão mais distanciados socialmente em tempos de COVID-19. Participaram das entrevistas telefônicas 4.035 idosos participantes da 2ª onda do Estudo Longitudinal de Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil). Classificou-se a dificuldade, necessidade e recebimento de ajuda em: (1) independentes; (2) com dificuldade e não precisa de ajuda; (3) com dificuldade, precisa e recebe ajuda de pessoa de dentro de casa; (4) com dificuldade, precisa e recebe ajuda de pessoa de fora de casa; e (5) com dificuldade, precisa, mas não recebe ajuda. O distanciamento social foi categorizado como não saiu de casa nos últimos 7 dias, saiu de casa para atividades essenciais e saiu de casa para atividades não essenciais. Modelo de regressão multinomial controlado por idade, sexo, escolaridade e região do Brasil foi utilizado. Permaneceram mais distanciados socialmente os idosos que apresentavam dificuldade, necessitavam e recebiam ajuda de pessoa de dentro (odds ratio - OR = 2,34; IC95%: 1,25-4,39) ou de fora de casa (OR = 3,94; IC95%: 2,24-6,92). A idade aumentou a chance de não sair de casa (OR = 1,06; IC95%: 1,03-1,09) e ser homem a diminuiu (OR = 0,48; IC95%: 0,33-0,70). Viver na Região Sul aumentou a chance dos idosos saírem para atividades essenciais (OR = 1,77; IC95%: 1,01-3,10). Idosos com dificuldade, que precisam e recebiam ajuda de pessoas de dentro ou de fora de casa não saíram de casa nos últimos 7 dias. Mesmo com o distanciamento social, esses idosos podem não ter sua exposição ao COVID-19 reduzida, enfraquecendo a teoria do distanciamento social seletivo.Analizar si los ancianos con dificultad o necesidad de ayuda para desempeñar actividades básicas (ABVD) o instrumentales de la vida diaria (AIVD) están más distanciados socialmente en tiempos de COVID-19. Participaron en las entrevistas telefónicas 4.035 ancianos de la encuesta de la segunda fase del Estudio Brasileño Longitudinal del Envejecimiento (ELSI-Brasil). Se clasificó la dificultad, necesidad y recepción de ayuda en: (1) independientes; (2) con dificultad y no necesita ayuda; (3) con dificultad, necesita y recibe ayuda de una persona de dentro de casa; (4) con dificultad, necesita y recibe ayuda de persona de fuera de casa; y (5) con dificultad, necesita, pero no recibe ayuda. El distanciamiento social fue categorizado como: no salió de casa en los últimos 7 días, salió de casa para actividades esenciales y salió de casa para actividades no esenciales. Se usó un modelo de regresión multinomial controlado por edad, sexo, escolaridad y región de Brasil. Permanecieron más distanciados socialmente los ancianos que presentaban dificultad, necesitaban y recibían ayuda de una persona de dentro (odds ratio - OR = 2,34; IC95%: 1,25-4,39) o de fuera de casa (OR = 3,94; IC95%: 2,24-6,92). La edad aumentó la oportunidad de no salir de casa (OR = 1,06; IC95%: 1,03-1,09) y el sexo masculino disminuyó (OR = 0,48; IC95%: 0,33-0,70). Estar en la Región Sur aumentó la oportunidad de que los ancianos salgan para actividades esenciales (OR = 1,77; IC95%: 1,01-3,10). Los ancianos que necesitan ayuda de personas de dentro o de fuera de casa no salieron de casa en los últimos 7 días. Incluso con distanciamiento social, los ancianos que reciben ayuda de personas no distanciadas no tienen su exposición reducida a la COVID-19, lo que debilita la teoría del distanciamiento social selectivo.

To measure the occurrence of protective behaviors for COVID-19 and sociodemographic factors according to the occurrence of multimorbidity in the Brazilian population aged 50 or over was the objective of this study. We used data from telephone surveys among participants of ELSI-Brazil (Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging), conducted between May and June 2020. The use of non-pharmacological prevention measures for COVID-19, reasons for leaving home according to the presence of multimorbidity and sociodemographic variables were evaluated. among 6,149 individuals. Multimorbidity was more frequent in females, married, aged 50-59 years and residents of the urban area. Most of the population left home between once and twice in the last week, increasing according to the number of morbidities (22.3% no morbidities and 38% with multimorbidity). Leaving home every day was less common among individuals with multimorbidity (10.3%) and 9.3% left home in the last week to access health care. Hand hygiene (98%) and always wearing a mask when leaving home (96%) were almost universal habits. Greater adherence to social isolation was observed among women with multimorbidity when compared to men (PR = 1.49, 95%CI: 1.23-1.79). This adherence increased proportionally with age and inversely with the level of education. The protective behavior in people with multimorbidity seems to be greater in relation to the others, although issues related to social isolation and health care deserve to be highlighted. These findings can be useful in customizing strategies for coping with the current pandemic.Objetivou-se medir a ocorrência de comportamentos de proteção contra a COVID-19 e fatores sociodemográficos segundo a ocorrência de multimorbidade na população brasileira com 50 anos ou mais de idade. Foram utilizados dados de inquérito telefônico entre participantes do ELSI-Brasil (Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros), conduzido entre maio e junho de 2020. Avaliou-se o uso de medidas de prevenção não farmacológica para COVID-19, motivos para sair de casa segundo a presença de multimorbidade e variáveis sociodemográficas. Participaram do estudo 6.149 pessoas. Multimorbidade foi mais frequente no sexo feminino, em casados, na faixa etária 50-59 anos de idade e em moradores da zona urbana. A maior parte da população saiu de casa entre uma e duas vezes na última semana, percentual que aumentou segundo o número de morbidades (22,3% sem morbidades e 38% com multimorbidade). Sair de casa todos os dias teve menor ocorrência entre indivíduos com multimorbidade (10,3%), e 9,3% saíram de casa na última semana para obter atendimento de saúde. Higienização de mãos (98%) e sempre usar máscara ao sair de casa (96%) foram hábitos quase universais. Observou-se maior adesão ao isolamento social entre as mulheres com multimorbidade quando comparadas com os homens (RP = 1,49; IC95%: 1,23-1,79); esta adesão aumentou proporcionalmente com a idade e inversamente ao nível de escolaridade. O comportamento de proteção em pessoas com multimorbidade parece ser maior em relação aos demais, embora questões relacionadas ao isolamento social e cuidado em saúde mereçam ser destacadas. Esses achados podem ser úteis na customização de estratégias de enfrentamento atual da pandemia.El objetivo fue medir la ocurrencia de comportamientos de protección contra la COVID-19 y factores sociodemográficos, según la ocurrencia de multimorbilidad, en la población brasileña con 50 años o más de edad. Se utilizaron datos de la encuesta telefónica entre participantes del ELSI-Brasil (Estudio Brasileño Longitudinal del Envejecimiento), realizado entre mayo y junio de 2020. Se evaluó el uso de medidas de prevención no farmacológica para la COVID-19, motivos para salir de casa, según la presencia de multimorbilidad y variables sociodemográficas. Participaron del estudio 6.149 personas. La multimorbilidad fue más frecuente en el sexo femenino, en casados, en la franja de edad 50-59 años de edad y en residentes de la zona urbana. La mayor parte de la población salió de casa entre una y dos veces en la última semana, porcentaje que aumentó según el número de morbilidades (22,3% sin morbilidades y 38% con multimorbilidad). Salir de casa todos los días tuvo una menor ocurrencia entre individuos con multimorbilidad (10,3%), y 9,3% salieron de casa en la última semana para obtener atención en salud. La higienización de manos (98%) y siempre usar mascarilla al salir de casa (96%) fueron hábitos casi universales. Se observó una mayor adhesión al aislamiento social entre las mujeres con multimorbilidad cuando se compararon con los hombres (RP = 1,49; IC95%: 1,23-1,79); esta adhesión aumentó proporcionalmente con la edad y fue inversamente proporcional al nivel de escolaridad. El comportamiento de protección en personas con multimorbilidad parece ser mayor respecto a los demás, a pesar de que las cuestiones relacionadas con el aislamiento social y cuidado en salud merezcan ser destacadas. Estos resultados pueden ser útiles en la personalización de estrategias de combate a la actual pandemia.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether healthy behaviours determine the adoption of individual protective measures to fight COVID-19. The data were obtained from the ELSI-COVID-19 initiative, a telephone survey conducted among participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), which includes a national sample representative of the population aged 50 years or older. The outcomes evaluated were three protective measures (not having left home in the past week, wearing a mask when leaving home, and sanitizing hands when returning home), and the explanatory variables were health behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and physical activity). The associations were evaluated by logistic models, considering adjustments for potential confounding factors. A total of 5,827 individuals participated in the analysis; 32.2% did not leave home in the last week, and among those who left home, 97.5% used a face mask, and 97.3% sanitized their hands when they returned home. The practice of physical activity at the recommended levels was associated with a lower chance of not leaving home in the previous week. Ex-smokers were more likely to use a mask, and those who practised physical activity were less likely to adopt this protective measure. Individuals with low-risk alcohol consumption had a higher chance of sanitizing their hands. Actions aimed at increasing the adoption of protective measures to fight the new coronavirus should consider the existence of vulnerable groups, which can be identified by the distribution of other health behaviours in the population.O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se os comportamentos saudáveis determinam a adoção de medidas protetivas individuais para o combate à COVID-19. Os dados foram obtidos da iniciativa ELSI-COVID-19, inquérito telefônico conduzido entre os participantes do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil), que inclui amostra nacional representativa da população com 50 anos ou mais. Os desfechos avaliados foram três medidas protetivas (não ter saído de casa na última semana, usar máscara quando saiu de casa e higienizar as mãos quando retornou para casa) e as variáveis explicativas foram os comportamentos em saúde (tabagismo, consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, consumo de frutas e hortaliças e prática de atividade física). As associações foram avaliadas por modelos logísticos, considerando-se o ajuste por potenciais fatores de confusão. Participaram da análise 5.827 indivíduos; 32,2% não saíram de casa na última semana; e entre os que saíram de casa, 97,5% usaram máscara facial e 97,3% higienizaram as mãos quando retornaram ao domicílio. A prática de atividade física nos níveis recomendados foi associada com menor chance de não sair de casa na semana anterior. Os ex-fumantes apresentaram maior chance de usar máscara e aqueles que praticavam atividade física tinham menor chance de adotar esta medida protetiva. Indivíduos com consumo de baixo risco de bebidas alcoólicas apresentaram maior chance de higienizar as mãos. Ações que visem ao aumento da adoção das medidas protetivas para o combate ao novo coronavírus devem considerar a existência de grupos vulneráveis, que podem ser identificados pela distribuição de outros comportamentos em saúde na população.El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar si los comportamientos saludables determinan la adopción de medidas protectoras individuales para combatir la COVID-19. Los datos se obtuvieron del iniciativa ELSI COVID-19, encuesta telefónica llevada a cabo entre los participantes del Estudio Brasileño Longitudinal del Envejecimiento (ELSI-Brasil), que incluye una muestra nacional representativa de la población con 50 años o más. Los desenlaces evaluados fueron tres medidas protectoras: no haber salido de casa en la última semana, usar mascarilla cuando se salió de casa e higienizar las manos cuando se volvió a casa. Asimismo, las variables explicativas fueron los comportamientos en salud (tabaquismo, consumo de bebidas alcohólicas, consumo de frutas y hortalizas, así como la práctica de actividad física). Las asociaciones fueron evaluadas mediante modelos logísticos, considerando el ajuste por potenciales factores de confusión. Participaron en el análisis 5.827 individuos; un 32,2% no salió de casa en la última semana, entre quienes salieron de casa un 97,5% usaron mascarilla facial y un 97,3% se higienizaron las manos, cuando regresaron al domicilio. La práctica de actividad física en los niveles recomendados estuvo asociada con una menor oportunidad de no salir de casa en la semana anterior. Los exfumadores presentaron una mayor oportunidad de usar mascarilla y aquellos que practicaban actividad física tenían una menor oportunidad de adoptar esta medida protectora. Individuos con un consumo de bajo riesgo de bebidas alcohólicas presentaron una mayor oportunidad de higienizar sus manos. Las acciones que tengan como objetivo el aumento de la adopción de medidas protectoras para combatir al nuevo coronavirus deben considerar la existencia de grupos vulnerables, que pueden ser identificados por la distribución de otros comportamientos en salud dentro de la población.

The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of social distancing, the use of face masks and hand washing when leaving home among Brazilian adults aged 50 or over. Data from 6,149 telephone interviews were used, conducted between May 26 and June 8, 2020 among participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). Social distancing was defined by not having left home in the last seven days. Only 32.8% of study participants did not leave home during the period considered, 36.3% left between one and two times, 15.2% between three and five times and 15.7% left every day. The main reasons for leaving home were to buy medicine or food (74.2%), to work (25.1%), to pay bills (24.5%), for health care (10.5%), to exercise (6.2%), and to meet family or friends (8.8%). Among those who left home, 97.3% always wore face masks and 97.3% always performed hand washing. Women left home less often than men. Men left home more often to work and exercise while women left home more often to seek healthcare. Men (odds ratio - OR = 1.84), those with higher education (OR = 1.48 and 1.95 for 5-8 and 9 years, respectively) and urban residents (OR = 1.54) left home more frequently to perform essential activities, regardless of age or other characteristics. Results show low adherence to social distancing, but high prevalence in the reported use of face masks and hand washing.O objetivo do estudo foi examinar a prevalência do distanciamento social, do uso de máscaras e da higienização das mãos ao sair de casa entre adultos brasileiros com 50 anos ou mais de idade. Foram utilizados dados de 6.149 entrevistas telefônicas, conduzidas entre 26 de maio e 8 junho de 2020 dentre os participantes do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil). O distanciamento social foi definido por não ter saído de casa nos últimos 7 dias. Somente 32,8% dos participantes do estudo não saíram de casa no período considerado, 36,3% saíram entre 1 e 2 vezes, 15,2% entre 3 a 5 vezes e 15,7% saíram todos os dias. As principais razões para sair de casa foram comprar remédios ou alimentos (74,2%), trabalhar (25,1%), pagar contas (24,5%), atendimento dem saúde (10,5%), fazer exercícios (6,2%) e encontrar familiares ou amigos (8,8%). Entre os que saíram de casa, 97,3% usaram sempre máscaras faciais e 97,3% sempre higienizaram as mãos. As mulheres saíram menos de casa que os homens. Esses saíram com mais frequência para trabalhar e fazer exercícios. Elas saíram mais para atendimento em saúde. Os homens (odds ratio - OR =1,84) aqueles com escolaridade mais alta (OR = 1,48 e 1,95 para 5-8 e 9 anos, respectivamente) e os residentes em áreas urbanas (OR = 1,54) saíram mais para realizar atividades essenciais, independentemente da idade e de outros fatores relevantes. Os resultados mostram baixa adesão ao distanciamento social, mas altas prevalências nos usos de máscaras e higienização das mãos.El objetivo del estudio fue examinar la prevalencia del distanciamiento social, uso de mascarillas e higienización de las manos al salir de casa entre adultos brasileños con 50 años o más de edad. Se utilizaron datos de 6.149 entrevistas telefónicas, realizadas entre el 26 de mayo y el 8 junio de 2020 entre los participantes del Estudio Brasileño Longitudinal del Envejecimiento (ELSI-Brasil por sus siglas en portugués). El distanciamiento social fue definido por no haber salido de casa en los últimos 7 días. Solamente un 32,8% de los participantes del estudio no salieron de casa en el período considerado, 36,3% salieron entre 1 y 2 veces, 15,2% entre 3 a 5 veces y 15,7% salieron todos los días. Las principales razones para salir de casa fueron comprar medicamentos o alimentos (74,2%), trabajar (25,1%), pagar cuentas (24,5%), atención en salud (10,5%), hacer ejercicios (6,2%) y encontrar con familiares o amigos (8,8%). Entre los que salieron de casa, un 97,3% usaron siempre mascarillas faciales y un 97,3% higienizaron siempre las manos. Las mujeres salieron menos de casa que los hombres. Estos salieron con más frecuencia para trabajar y para hacer ejercicio. Ellas salieron más para la atención en salud. Los hombres (odds ratio - OR = 1,84), los con escolaridad más alta (OR = 1,48 y 1,95 para 5-8 y 9 años) y los residentes en áreas urbanas (OR = 1,54) salieron más para realizar actividades esenciales, independientemente de la edad y de otros factores relevantes. Los resultados muestran una baja adhesión al distanciamiento social, pero altas prevalencias en el uso de mascarillas e higienización de las manos.

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of going out to work during the COVID-19 epidemic, and the factors associated with this, among adults aged 50 years and over who were in paid employment before its onset. We used data from the second wave of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted through face-to-face interviews between August 2019 and March 2020 (before the onset of the epidemic), in a representative national sample of adults aged 50 and over, and data obtained through telephone interviews carried out among the same participants (ELSI-COVID-19 initiative), conducted between May 26 and June 8, 2020 (during the epidemic). The analyses were based on odds ratios (OR) estimated by logistic regression. The participants' mean age was 59.9 years (SD = 6.5). The prevalence of going out to work in the previous seven days was 38.4% (95%CI: 31.3-46.1), 50.2% among men and 25.1% among women (formal work, self-employment, and informal work). The results showed that among men, the likelihood of going out to work was lower among those aged 60 to 69 years compared to those aged 50 to 59 years (OR = 0.27; 95%CI: 0.15-0.48). Among women, the likelihood was lower among those who were self-employed (OR = 0.28; 95%CI: 0.12-0.64) or in informal employment before the epidemic (OR = 0.25; 95%CI: 0.09-0.69), compared to those in formal employment. One of the hypotheses to explain this association is that women in informal employment were more likely to be dismissed, and that self-employed women have stopped working during the epidemic.O objetivo do estudo foi examinar a prevalência e fatores associados a ter saído para trabalhar durante a epidemia da COVID-19, entre adultos com 50 anos ou mais que exerciam trabalho remunerado antes do seu início. Foram utilizados dados da segunda onda do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil), conduzida por meio de entrevista face a face, entre agosto de 2019 e março de 2020 (antes do início da epidemia), em amostra nacional representativa de adultos com 50 anos ou mais, e dados obtidos por meio de entrevistas telefônicas realizadas entre esses participantes (iniciativa ELSI-COVID-19), conduzidas entre 26 de maio e 8 de junho de 2020 (durante a epidemia). As análises foram baseadas nas odds ratios (OR) estimadas pela regressão logística. A média de idade dos participantes foi 59,9 anos (DP = 6,5). A prevalência de ter saído para trabalhar nos sete dias anteriores foi de 38,4% (IC95%: 31,3-46,1), 50,2% entre os homens e 25,1% entre as mulheres (trabalho formal, por conta própria e informal). Os resultados mostraram que, entre os homens, a chance de ter saído para trabalhar foi menor entre aqueles de 60 a 69 anos em comparação com aqueles de 50 a 59 anos (OR = 0,27; IC95%: 0,15-0,48). Entre as mulheres, a probabilidade de ter saído para trabalhar foi menor entre aquelas que trabalhavam por conta própria (OR = 0,28; IC95%: 0,12-0,64) ou tinham vínculo informal de trabalho antes da epidemia (OR = 0,25; IC95%: 0,09-0,69), em comparação àquelas com vínculo formal de trabalho. Uma das hipóteses para explicar essa associação é que as mulheres com vínculo informal tenham sido dispensadas e aquelas que trabalhavam por conta própria tenham deixado de trabalhar durante a epidemia.El objetivo del estudio fue examinar la prevalencia y factores asociados a haber salido para trabajar durante la epidemia de la COVID-19, entre adultos con 50 años o más, que ejercían trabajo remunerado antes del inicio de la misma. Se utilizaron datos de la segunda fase del Estudio Brasileño Longitudinal del Envejecimiento (ELSI-Brasil), llevada a cabo mediante una entrevista cara a cara, entre agosto de 2019 y marzo de 2020 (antes del inicio de la epidemia), en una muestra nacional representativa de adultos con 50 años o más, y datos obtenidos por medio de entrevistas telefónicas realizadas entre estos participantes (iniciativa ELSI-COVID-19), realizadas entre el 26 de mayo y 8 de junio de 2020 (durante la epidemia). Los análisis se basaron en las odds ratios (OR) estimadas por regresión logística. La media de edad de los participantes fue 59,9 años (DP = 6,5). La prevalencia de haber salido para trabajar durante los siete días anteriores fue de un 38,4% (IC95%: 31,3-46,1), 50,2% entre hombres y un 25,1% entre las mujeres (trabajo formal, por cuenta propia e informal). Los resultados mostraron que, entre los hombres, la oportunidad de haber salido a trabajar fue menor entre aquellos con edades comprendidas entre los 60 a 69 años, en comparación con aquellos de 50 a 59 años (OR = 0,27; IC95%: 0,15-0,48). Entre las mujeres, la probabilidad de haber salido a trabajar fue menor entre aquellas que trabajaban por cuenta propia (OR = 0,28; IC95%: 0,12-0,64) o tenían un vínculo laboral informal antes de la epidemia (OR = 0,25; IC95%: 0,09-0,69), en comparación con aquellas con un vínculo laboral formal. Una de las hipótesis para explicar esta asociación es que las mujeres con un vínculo informal fueron dispensadas del servicio y aquellas que trabajaban por cuenta propia hayan dejado de trabajar durante la epidemia.

The COVID-19 pandemic (caused by the SARS-CoV-2) is a public health emergency of international concern that particularly affects older people. Brazil is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic, ranking second with the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide as of mid-June 2020. The ELSI-COVID-19 initiative is based on telephone interviews with participants of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted on a nationally representative sample of the population aged 50 or older. This initiative aims to provide information on adherence to preventive measures (social distancing, wearing masks, and handwashing/hygiene); reasons for leaving the house, when that was the case; difficulties obtaining medications, medical diagnosis of COVID-19, and receipt of confirmatory results; use of health-care services (recent care-seeking, care-seeking location, care receipt, among other aspects); and mental health (sleep, depression, and loneliness). The first round of telephone interviews was conducted between May 26 and June 8, 2020. The second and third rounds are expected to occur within the coming months. This article presents this initiative methodology and some sociodemographic characteristics of the 6,149 participants in the survey first round, relative the Brazilian population within the same age group.

O objetivo deste estudo foi medir a ocorrência de multimorbidade e estimar o número de indivíduos na população brasileira com 50 anos ou mais em risco para COVID-19 grave. Estudo transversal utilizando dados da linha de base do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI), conduzido em 2015–2016, com 9.412 indivíduos com 50 anos ou mais. O desfecho do estudo foi a ocorrência de multimorbidade baseando-se em uma lista de 17 morbidades consideradas de risco para COVID-19 grave e operacionalizado de duas formas: ≥1 e ≥2 condições. Avaliou-se a gravidade da situação de saúde por meio da autoavaliação do estado de saúde, fragilidade e Atividades Básicas da Vida Diária. As análises incluíram cálculo de prevalência e número absoluto estimado de pessoas na população. Sexo, idade, região geopolítica e escolaridade foram utilizadas como covariáveis. Cerca de 80% (≈34 milhões) dos indivíduos apresentaram pelo menos alguma das morbidades avaliadas; multimorbidade esteve presente em metade da população em estudo (52,0%) sendo, percentualmente, maior nas regiões Centro-Oeste, Sudeste e Sul. Doenças cardiovasculares e obesidade foram as condições mais frequentes. Indivíduos considerados com situação grave de saúde com morbidades representaram >6% da população em estudo (≈2,4 milhões) com desigualdades segundo escolaridade. O número de pessoas em envelhecimento no Brasil que apresentam morbidades de risco para COVID-19 grave é alto, em termos relativos e absolutos. Essa mensuração pode ser útil para planejar as estratégias de enfrentamento do novo coronavírus em diferentes etapas da pandemia.

The study goal was to examine the association between perceived neighborhood characteristics and walking in urban older adults in Brazil. A cross-sectional study including 4,027 older adults from the baseline of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil) was performed. Walking was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Neighborhood characteristics were questions about physical disorder, noise pollution, safety, violence, social cohesion, services, concerns with community mobility, and pleasantness. Multinomial logistic regression was used. Concern about taking the bus, subway, or train was inversely associated with walking for men. Violence (victim of theft, robbery, or had home broken into) and social cohesion (trust in neighbors) were positively and inversely associated with walking for women, respectively. A significant interaction term between social cohesion and number of chronic diseases was observed for women. These findings demonstrate the need for sex-specific interventions and policies to increase the walking levels among older Brazilian adults.

This study aimed to measure the occurrence of multimorbidity and to estimate the number of individuals in the Brazilian population 50 years or older at risk for severe COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional nationwide study based on data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), conducted in 2015-2016, with 9,412 individuals 50 years or older. Multimorbidity was defined as ≥ 2 chronic conditions based on a list of 15 diseases considered risk conditions for severe COVID-19. The analyses included calculation of prevalence and estimation of the absolute number of persons in the population at risk. Self-rated health status, frailty, and basic activities of daily living were used as markers of health status. Sex, age, region of the country, and schooling were used as covariables. Some 80% of the sample had at least one of the target conditions, which represents some 34 million individuals. Multimorbidity was reported by 52% of the study population, with higher proportions in the Central, Southeast, and South of Brazil. Cardiovascular diseases and obesity were the most frequent chronic conditions. An estimated 2.4 million Brazilians are at serious health risk. The results revealed inequalities according to schooling. The number of persons 50 years or older who presented risk conditions for severe COVID-19 is high both in absolute and relative terms. The estimate is important for planning strategies to monitor persons with chronic conditions and for preventive strategies to deal with the novel coronavirus.O objetivo deste trabalho foi medir a ocorrência de multimorbidade e estimar o número de indivíduos na população brasileira com 50 anos ou mais em risco para COVID-19 grave. Estudo transversal de base nacional com dados do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil), conduzido em 2015-2016, com 9.412 indivíduos com 50 anos ou mais. A multimorbidade foi caracterizada como ≥ 2 condições crônicas com base em uma lista de 15 morbidades consideradas de risco para COVID-19 grave. As análises incluíram cálculo de prevalência e estimativa do número absoluto de pessoas na população em risco. Autoavaliação do estado de saúde, fragilidade e atividades básicas da vida diária foram utilizadas como marcadores da situação de saúde. Sexo, idade, região geopolítica e escolaridade foram usados como covariáveis. Cerca de 80% dos indivíduos da amostra apresentaram pelo menos alguma das morbidades avaliadas, o que representa cerca de 34 milhões de indivíduos; a multimorbidade foi referida por 52% da população em estudo, com maior proporção nas regiões Centro-oeste, Sudeste e Sul. Doenças cardiovasculares e obesidade foram as condições crônicas mais frequentes. Estima-se que 2,4 milhões de brasileiros estejam em risco grave de saúde. Desigualdades segundo a escolaridade foram observadas. O número de pessoas com 50 anos ou mais que apresentam morbidades de risco para COVID-19 grave é elevado tanto em termos relativos quanto absolutos. A estimativa apresentada é importante para planejar as estratégias de monitoramento das pessoas com morbidades crônicas e de prevenção no enfrentamento do novo coronavírus.El objetivo de este trabajo fue medir la ocurrencia de multimorbilidad y estimar el número de individuos en la población brasileña, con 50 años o más, en riesgo de COVID-19 grave. Estudio transversal de base nacional, con datos del Estudio Brasileño Longitudinal del Envejecimiento (ELSI-Brasil), llevado a cabo en 2015-2016, con 9.412 individuos con 50 años o más. La multimorbilidad se caracterizó como ≥ 2 condiciones crónicas, en base a una lista de 15 morbilidades consideradas de riesgo para COVID-19 grave. Los análisis incluyeron el cálculo de prevalencia y estimación del número absoluto de personas en la población en riesgo. La autoevaluación del estado de salud, fragilidad y actividades básicas de la vida diaria fueron utilizadas como marcadores de la situación de salud. Sexo, edad, región geopolítica y escolaridad fueron usados como covariables. Cerca de un 80% de los individuos de la muestra presentaron por lo menos alguna de las morbilidades evaluadas, lo que representa cerca de 34 millones de individuos; la multimorbilidad fue referida por un 52% de la población en estudio, con mayor proporción en las regiones Centro, Sureste y Sur. Enfermedades cardiovasculares y obesidad fueron las enfermedades crónicas más frecuentes. Se estima que 2,4 millones de brasileños están en riesgo grave de salud. Se observaron desigualdades según la escolaridad. El número de personas con 50 años o más que presentan morbilidades de riesgo para la COVID-19 grave es elevado, tanto en términos relativos, como absolutos. La estimación presentada es importante para planear las estrategias de monitoreo de las personas con morbilidades crónicas y de prevención en el combate al nuevo coronavirus.

Background Chagas disease is endemic in Latin America and still represents an important public health problem in the region. Chronic cardiomyopathy is the most significant chronic form due to its association with morbidity and mortality. The last decade has seen increasing evidence that inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are responsible for the generation of inflammatory infiltrate and tissue damage, with chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy patients presenting a pro-inflammatory immune response. Although studies have evaluated the role of chemokines in experimental T. cruzi infection, few have addressed their systemic profile, especially for human infection and in aging populations. The present work aimed to use the data from a large population based study of older adults, conducted in an endemic area for Chagas disease, to examine the association between serum levels of cytokines and chemokines, T. cruzi infection and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormality. Methods The present work evaluated serum levels of CCL2, CXCL9, CXCL10, CCL5, CXCL8, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF, IL-12 and IL-10 by Flow Cytometric Bead Array assay (CBA) and the results expressed in pg/ml. The baseline survey started in January 1st 1997, with 1284 participants of an aged population-based cohort. Participants signed an informed consent at baseline and at each subsequent visit and authorized death certificate and medical records verification. Results Our results demonstrated that Chagas disease patients had higher serum levels of CXCL9, CXCL10 and IL-1β and lower serum levels of CCL5 than non-infected subjects. Moreover, our data demonstrated that CXCL9 and CXCL10 increased in an age-dependent profile in Chagas disease patients. Conclusion Together, this study provided evidences that serum biomarkers increase along the age continuum and may have potential implications for establishing clinical management protocols and therapeutic intervention in Chagas disease patients.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with dynapenia in a nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 50 years and older. A cross-sectional study was performed with baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). Dynapenia was defined as low muscle strength (< 27kg for men and < 16kg for women). Explanatory variables were sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, health behaviors and physical performance. Analyses were based on multivariate logistic regression and population attributable fractions. Among the 8,396 participants, the prevalence of dynapenia was 17.2% (16.6% among men and 17.7% among women); for those aged 65 years and older, the prevalence was 28.2% (29.1% and 27.5% among men and women, respectively). Dynapenia was positively associated with age, low gait speed, limitations in performing two or more basic daily activities, falls and self-reported chronic diseases; and negatively associated with education level, physical activity and body mass index (overweight/obese, OR = 0.26). Prevalence of dynapenia is high in Brazilian older adults. Educational skills and physical activity improvement present greater potential to reduce dynapenia in this population. O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a prevalência da dinapenia e fatores associados em uma amostra nacional representativa de indivíduos com 50 anos ou mais no Brasil. Foi realizado um estudo transversal. O presente estudo usou dados da linha de base do Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde dos Idosos Brasileiros (ELSI-Brasil). A variável dependente era dinapenia, definida como baixa força muscular (< 27kg para homens e < 16kg para mulheres). Foram incluídas como covariáveis no modelo logístico, as características sociodemográficas estado de saúde, comportamentos relacionados à saúde e desempenho físico. Foram calculadas frações atribuíveis populacionais para os fatores que demonstrassem associação significativa com o desfecho. Foram estudados 8.386 participantes com 50 anos ou mais (53,3% do sexo feminino). A prevalência da dinapenia foi 17,2%, sendo 16,6% nos homens e 17,7% nas mulheres. Entre os indivíduos com 65 anos ou mais, a prevalência foi 28,2% (29,1% nos homens e 27,5% nas mulheres). A presença da dinapenia mostrou associação positiva com idade, velocidade de marcha reduzida, limitação autorrelatada em duas ou mais atividades básicas da vida diária, gênero, quedas, hospitalizações e doenças crônicas. A dinapenia mostrou associação negativa com escolaridade, atividade física e índice de massa corporal (sobrepeso/obesidade, OR = 0,26). Aproximadamente 9% da dinapenia eram atribuíveis a riscos modificáveis. O estudo indica que a dinapenia é prevalente em brasileiros com 50 anos ou mais, e que medidas para melhorar a escolaridade e atividade física têm o maior potencial de reduzir a dinapenia nessa população. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la prevalencia de la dinapenia y factores asociados en una muestra nacional representativa de individuos con 50 años o más en Brasil. Se realizó un estudio transversal. El presente estudio usó datos de referencia del Estudio Longitudinal de Salud de Ancianos Brasileños (ELSI-Brasil por sus siglas en portugués). La variable dependiente era dinapenia, definida como baja fuerza muscular (< 27kg para hombres y < 16kg para mujeres). Se incluyeron como covariables en el modelo logístico las características sociodemográficas: estado de salud, comportamientos relacionados con la salud y desempeño físico. Se calcularon fracciones atribuibles poblacionales para los factores que demostrasen asociación significativa con el resultado. Se estudiaron a 8.386 participantes con 50 años o más (53,3% del sexo femenino). La prevalencia de la dinapenia fue de un 17,2%, siendo un 16,6% en hombres y un 17,7% en mujeres. Entre los individuos con 65 años o más, la prevalencia fue de 28,2% (29,1% en los hombres y 27,5% en mujeres). La presencia de la dinapenia mostró asociación positiva con edad, velocidad de marcha reducida, limitación autoinformada en dos o más actividades básicas de la vida diaria, género, caídas, hospitalizaciones y enfermedades crónicas. La dinapenia mostró una asociación negativa con: escolaridad, actividad física e índice de masa corporal (sobrepeso/obesidad, OR = 0,26). Aproximadamente un 9% de la dinapenia era atribuible a riesgos modificables. El estudio indica que la dinapenia es prevalente en brasileños con 50 años o más, y las medidas para mejorar la escolaridad y actividad física poseen un mayor potencial para reducir la dinapenia en esa población.

Background Risk stratification of Chagas disease patients in the limited‐resource setting would be helpful in crafting management strategies. We developed a score to predict 2‐year mortality in patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy from remote endemic areas. Methods and Results This study enrolled 1551 patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy from Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from the SaMi‐Trop cohort (The São Paulo‐Minas Gerais Tropical Medicine Research Center). Clinical evaluation, ECG, and NT ‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide) were performed. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to develop a prediction model based on the key predictors. The end point was all‐cause mortality. The patients were classified into 3 risk categories at baseline (low, QRS duration ≥150 ms (15 points), and abnormal NT ‐pro BNP adjusted by age (55 points). The observed mortality rates in the low‐, intermediate‐, and high‐risk groups were 0%, 3.6%, and 32.7%, respectively, in the derivation cohort and 3.2%, 8.7%, and 19.1%, respectively, in the validation cohort. The discrimination of the score was good in the development cohort (C statistic: 0.82), and validation cohort (C statistic: 0.71). Conclusions In a large population of patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy, a combination of risk factors accurately predicted early mortality. This helpful simple score could be used in remote areas with limited technological resources.

Objective To determine the extent to which racial inequities in tooth loss and functional dentition are explained by individual socioeconomic status, smoking status and frequency/reason for the use of dental services. Methods Data came from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling people aged 50 years and over. Tooth loss and functional dentition (ie 20+ natural teeth) were the outcomes. The main explanatory variable was self-classified race. Covariates included dental visits in the past 12 months, dental visits for check-ups only, smoking status, self-reported chronic conditions, depression and cognitive function. Logistic regression and Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis were used to estimate the share of each factor in race-related tooth loss inequities. Results The analytical sample comprised of 7126 respondents. While the prevalence of functional dentition in White Brazilians was 37% (95% CI: 33.5;40.9), it was 29% (95% CI: 26.4;31.6) among Browns and 30% (95% CI: 25.1;35.4) among Blacks. The average number of lost teeth among Whites, Browns and Blacks were 18.7 (95% CI: 17.8;19.6), 20.4 (95% CI: 19.7;21.1) and 20.8 (95% CI: 19.5;22.0), respectively. Decomposition analysis showed that the selected covariates explained 71% of the racial inequalities in tooth loss. Dental visits in the previous year and smoking status explained nearly half of race-related gaps. Other factors, such as per capita income, education and cognitive status, also had an important contribution to the examined inequalities. The proportion of racial inequities in tooth loss that was explained by dental visits (frequency and reason) and smoking status decreased from 40% for those 50-59 years of age to 22% among participants aged 70-79 years. Conclusions Frequency and reason for dental visits and smoking status explained nearly half of the racial inequity in tooth loss among Brazilian older adults. The Brazilian Family Health Strategy Program should target older adults from racial groups living in deprived areas.