| 51. |
- Hörnsten, Carl, 1985-
(författare)
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Stroke and depression in very old age
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background The prevalence and incidence of stroke are known to increase with age, which, combined with demographic change, means that very old patients with stroke are a growing patient group. Risk factors for incident stroke among very old people have not been widely investigated. The impact of depression on mortality in very old people who have had a stroke also remains unclear. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the risk factors for incident stroke, the epidemiology of stroke and depression, and the consequences of having had a stroke regarding the risk of depression and mortality among very old people.Methods A randomly selected half of 85-, all 90-, and all ≥95-year-olds in certain municipalities in Västerbotten County, Sweden, and Pohjanmaa County, Finland were targeted in a population-based cohort study from 2000-2012. The 65-, 70-, 75-, and 80-year-olds in all the rural and random samples from the urban municipalities in the same counties were furthermore targeted in a survey in 2010.In the cohort study patients were assessed in their homes, by means of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and other assessment scales, as well as blood pressure measurements, several physical tests, and a review of medical diagnoses appearing in the medical charts. Incident stroke data were collected from medical charts guided by hospital registry records, cause of death records, and reassessments after 5 years. Depression was defined as a GDS-15 score ≥5. A clinical definition of all depressive disorders, based on assessment scale scores and review of medical charts was also used. A specialist in geriatric medicine evaluated the diagnoses. The survey included yes/no questions about stroke and depression status, and the 4-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Associations with mortality and incident stroke were tested using Cox proportional-hazard models. Results In the ≥85-year-olds examined in 2005-2007 (n=601), the stroke prevalence was 21.5%, the prevalence of all depressive disorders was 37.8% and stroke was independently associated with depressive disorders (odds ratio 1.644, p=0.038). The prevalence of depression according to GDS-15 scores was 43.2% in people with stroke compared with 25.0% in people without stroke (p=0.001). However, in ≥85-year-olds examined in Sweden from 2000-2012 (n=955), from all past data collections in the study, depression was not independently associated with incident stroke. In ≥65-year-olds who responded to a survey in 2010 (n=6098), the stroke prevalence rose with age from 4.7% among the 65- to 11.6% among the 80-year-olds (p<0.001). The prevalence of depression rose from 11.0% among the 65- to 18.1% among the 80-year-olds (p<0.001). In the group with stroke, depression was independently associated with dependence in personal activities of daily living and having a life crisis the preceding year, while in the non-stroke group, depression was independently associated with several additional demographic, social and health factors.In ≥85-year-olds examined in 2005-2007 with valid GDS-15 tests (n=452), having had a stroke was associated with increased 5-year mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-2.03]. Having had a stroke and depression was associated with increased 5-year mortality compared with having only stroke (HR 1.90, 95% CI 1.15-3.13), having only depression (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.03-2.45), and compared with having neither stroke nor depression (HR 2.50, 95% CI 1.69-3.69). Having only stroke without a depression did not increase mortality compared with having neither stroke nor depression.In ≥85-year-olds examined in Sweden from 2000-2012 (n=955), from all past data collections in the study, the stroke incidence was 33.8/1000 person-years during a mean follow-up period of about three years. In a comprehensive multivariate model, atrial fibrillation (HR 1.85, 95% CI 1.07–3.19) and higher systolic blood pressure (SBP; HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.08–1.30 per 10-mmHg increase) were associated with incident stroke overall. In additional multivariate models, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg (HR 2.45, 95% CI 1.47–4.08) and SBP ≥160 mmHg (v. <140 mmHg; HR 2.80, 95% CI 1.53–5.14) were associated with incident stroke.Conclusion The prevalence of both stroke and depression increased with age, and rates were especially high among very old people. Having had a stroke was independently associated with a higher prevalence of depression among very old people, however, depression was not independently associated with a higher incidence of stroke. Having had a stroke was associated with increased all-cause mortality among very old people, but only among those who were also depressed. High SBP (≥160 mmHg), DBP (≥90 mmHg) and atrial fibrillation were the only consistent independent risk factors for incident stroke among very old people.
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| 52. |
- Hörnsten, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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The association between stroke, depression, and 5-year mortality among very old people
- 2013
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Ingår i: Stroke. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0039-2499 .- 1524-4628. ; 44:9, s. 2587-2589
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Purpose: Depression after stroke has been associated with increased mortality, but little is known about this association among very old people.Methods: A population-based study among people ≥85 years of age was conducted in northern Sweden and Finland, comprising cross-sectional assessments and subsequent survival data. The 452 individuals who had completed the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 assessment were selected. Depression was defined as a score of ≥5 on the geriatric depression scale.Results: Of those with a history of stroke, 38 of 88 (43.2%) people were depressed, and 11 of the 38 (28.9%) were treated with antidepressants, compared with 91 of 364 (25.0%) depressed (P=0.001) and 17 of 91 (18.7%) treated with antidepressants among those without stroke. Having a history of stroke and ongoing depression was associated with increased 5-year mortality compared with having only stroke (hazard ratio, 1.90; confidence interval, 1.15–3.13), having only depression (hazard ratio, 1.59; confidence interval, 1.03–2.45), and compared with having neither stroke nor depression (hazard ratio, 2.50; confidence interval, 1.69–3.69). Having only stroke without depression did not increase mortality compared with having neither stroke nor depression.Conclusions: A history of stroke was associated with increased mortality among very old people but only among those who were also depressed. Depression seemed to be underdiagnosed and undertreated.
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| 53. |
- Hörnsten, Carl, et al.
(författare)
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The prevalence of stroke and depression and factors associated with depression in elderly people with and without stroke
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMC Geriatrics. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2318 .- 1471-2318. ; 16
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Few studies have investigated factors associated with depression among elderly people with and without stroke concurrently, using identical settings, procedures and study variables. The aim was to investigate the prevalence of stroke and depression and to compare the factors associated with depression in people with and without stroke. Methods: A postal mail survey was sent to 65-, 70-, 75- and 80-year-olds in northern Sweden and Finland in 2010 (n = 6098). Stroke was defined as answering "yes" to the question "Have you had a stroke?" Depression was defined as answering "yes" to the question "Are you depressed?" or having a Geriatric Depression Scale-4 score >= 2. Dependence in personal activities of daily living was defined as not showering without human assistance. Associations were tested with log-binomial regression. Results: The overall stroke prevalence was 7.0 +/- 0.3 % and increased from 4.7 +/- 0.4 % among 65-year-olds to 11.6 +/- 1.0 % among 80-year-olds (p < 0.001). The overall depression prevalence was 12.8 +/- 0.4 % and increased from 11.0 +/- 0.6 % among 65-year-olds to 18.1 +/- 1.2 % among 80-year-olds (p < 0.001). Depression was more common among people with stroke (Prevalence Ratio 1.77, 95 % Confidence Interval 1.48-2.12). In the non-stroke group, depression was independently associated with diabetes, dependence in instrumental activities of daily living, living alone, not having someone to talk to, poor finances, pain problems and having a life crisis in the preceding year. In the group with stroke, depression was independently associated with dependence in personal activities of daily living and having a life crisis the preceding year. Conclusions: Depression in people without stroke appeared to be independently associated with a broader range of external factors than depression in people with stroke.
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| 54. |
- Itzhaki, Ruth F., et al.
(författare)
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Microbes and Alzheimer's Disease
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 51:4, s. 979-984
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We are researchers and clinicians working on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or related topics, and we write to express our concern that one particular aspect of the disease has been neglected, even though treatment based on it might slow or arrest AD progression. We refer to the many studies, mainly on humans, implicating specific microbes in the elderly brain, notably herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), Chlamydia pneumoniae, and several types of spirochaete, in the etiology of AD [1–4]. Fungal infection of AD brain [5, 6] has also been described, as well as abnormal microbiota in AD patient blood [7]. The first observations of HSV1 in AD brain were reported almost three decades ago [8]. The ever-increasing number of these studies (now about 100 on HSV1 alone) warrants re-evaluation of the infection and AD concept.AD is associated with neuronal loss and progressive synaptic dysfunction, accompanied by the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, a cleavage product of the amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP), and abnormal forms of tau protein, markers that have been used as diagnostic criteria for the disease [9, 10]. These constitute the hallmarks of AD, but whether they are causes of AD or consequences is unknown. We suggest that these are indicators of an infectious etiology. In the case of AD, it is often not realized that microbes can cause chronic as well as acute diseases; that some microbes can remain latent in the body with the potential for reactivation, the effects of which might occur years after initial infection; and that people can be infected but not necessarily affected, such that ‘controls’, even if infected, are asymptomatic
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| 55. |
- Itzhaki, Ruth F., et al.
(författare)
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Microbes and Alzheimer's disease
- 2017
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Ingår i: Handbook of infection and Alzheimer's disease. - : IOS Press. - 9781614997054 - 9781614997061 ; , s. 3-8
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)
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| 56. |
- Johansson, Sanna, et al.
(författare)
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A clinically feasible short version of the 15-item geriatric depression scale extracted using item response theory in a sample of adults aged 85 years and older
- 2022
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Routledge. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 26:2, s. 431-437
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To extract the items most suitable for a short version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) in a sample of adults aged ≥ 85 years using item response theory (IRT).Method: This population-based cross-sectional study included 651 individuals aged ≥ 85 years from the Umeå 85+/GErontological Regional DAtabase (GERDA) study. Participants were either community dwelling (approximately 70%) or resided in institutional care (approximately 30%) in northern Sweden and western Finland in 2000–2002 and 2005–2007. The psychometric properties of GDS-15 items were investigated using an IRT-based approach to find items most closely corresponding to the GDS-15 cut off value of ≥5 points. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to compare the performance of the proposed short version with that of previously proposed short GDS versions.Results: GDS-15 items 3, 8, 12, and 13 best differentiated respondents’ levels of depressive symptoms corresponding to the GDS-15 cut off value of ≥5, regardless of age or sex, and thus comprise the proposed short version of the scale (GDS-4 GERDA). For the identification of individuals with depression (total GDS-15 score ≥ 5), the GDS-4 GERDA with a cut-off score of ≥2 had 92.9% sensitivity and 85.0% specificity.Conclusion: The GDS-4 GERDA could be used as an optimized short version of the GDS-15 to screen for depression among adults aged ≥ 85 years.
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| 57. |
- Kindstedt, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring medication-related hospital admissions and their association with cognitive impairment among acutely admitted older people
- 2023
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Ingår i: Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. - : Elsevier. - 1551-7411 .- 1934-8150. ; 19:7, s. 1048-1053
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Medication-related hospital admissions (MRAs) are common among older people. Persons with cognitive impairment are especially vulnerable to adverse drug effects. At the same time, increased home health care and social support could theoretically prevent medication-related problems. This study aims to estimate the proportion of MRAs and explore their relationship with cognitive impairment in a population of acutely admitted older people.Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 300 individuals aged 75 years or older admitted to an acute medical ward. Two assessors identified possibly MRAs using the Assessment Tool for Hospital Admissions Related to Medications 10 (AT-HARM10). Screening for cognitive impairment was performed during ward stay using a 4-item test related to time orientation. Prevalence odds ratios between cognitive test scores and MRAs were analysed through logistic regression.Results: Using AT-HARM10, 108 out of 300 admissions (36%) were classified as possibly MRAs by both assessors. Moreover, MRAs were least common among patients with the lowest cognitive test scores. There was an association regarding MRAs when the lowest test score was treated as a cut-off and compared against a reference category comprising all other scores (OR, 0.31 [95% CI 0.10–0.93]; p = 0.037) in a logistic regression model adjusted for cohabitation and home health care.Conclusion: Approximately one-third of the hospital admissions among acutely admitted older people were considered at least possibly medication-related. Hence, there is still a great need to manage medication-related problems and reduce MRAs in this vulnerable population. Using a 4-item instrument to screen for cognitive impairment, there was a negative association between MRA and lowest cognitive test score. Further exploration of the relationship between MRAs and cognitive impairment may indicate appropriate components and target populations for interventions that aims to reduce the risk of MRA.
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| 58. |
- Kindstedt, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Investigating the effect of clinical pharmacist intervention in transitions of care on drug-related hospital readmissions among the elderly : study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 10:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Drug-related problems (DRPs) are a major cause of unplanned hospital admissions among elderly people, and transitions of care have been emphasised as a key area for improving patient safety. We have designed a complex clinical pharmacist intervention that targets people >= 75 years of age undergoing transitions of care from hospital to home and primary care. The main objective is to investigate if the intervention can reduce the risk of unplanned drug-related readmission within the first 180 days after the person is discharged from hospital.Methods and analysis: This is a randomised, controlled, superiority trial with two parallel arms. A total of 700 people >= 75 years will be assigned to either intervention or routine care (control). The intervention, which aims to find and manage DRPs, is initiated within a week of the person being discharged from hospital and combines repeated medical chart reviews, phone interviews and in some cases medication reviews. People in both study arms may have been the subject of a medication review during their ward stay. As the primary outcome, we will measure time until unplanned drug-related readmission within 180 days of leaving hospital and use log rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models to analyse differences between the groups. Further investigations of subgroup effects and adjustments of the regression models will be based on heart failure and cognitive impairment as prognostic factors.Ethics and dissemination: The study has been approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Umea (registration numbers 2017-69-31M, 2018-83-32M and 2018-254-32M). We intend to publish the results with open access in international peer-reviewed journals and present our findings at international conferences. The trial is expected to result in more than one published article and form part of two PhD theses.
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| 59. |
- Kindstedt, Jonas, 1986-
(författare)
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Medication-related problems and psychotropic drug use in vulnerable older populations : a focus on acute hospital admissions and cognitive impairment
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The ageing process involves several physiological changes that affect both pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics and that, in combination with a heavier disease burden and more extensive use of medicines, put older people at higher risk of medication-related problems and associated clinical outcomes. The older population is often treated as a homogenous group, when in fact there are factors that render certain individuals more vulnerable to adverse drug effects and other types of medication-related problems. Older people encountered in the acute medical care setting and/or individuals with varying degrees of cognitive impairment are especially vulnerable in that context. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe and understand medication use in certain vulnerable subgroups of older people, which in turn might identify suitable target populations in which medication-related problems can be prevented or managed through interventions or similar efforts.Paper I presented, in the form of a study protocol, a clinical pharmacist intervention intended to reduce the risk of medication-related readmission to hospital among people aged 75 years or older during transitions of care. Based on 300 participants from the intervention study, approximately 50% had been readmitted to hospital within 180 days of being discharged from the hospital. Both heart failure and cognitive impairment, the latter identified through a four-item test, were predictors of early readmission. Altogether, the study population seems relevant for the purpose of the intervention; whether the intervention model is effective remains to be determined.Based on the same sample of study participants, paper II found that approximately one third of the 300 index hospital admissions were possibly medication related. Moreover, possibly medication-related hospital admissions were negatively associated with the fewest positive/correct answers on the four-item screening tool for cognitive impairment, which suggests that those clinical events might be less prevalent among people with cognitive impairment when exploring the association cross-sectionally. Both papers III and IV were registry-based studies, and their overall objective can be summarized as to describe psychotropic drug use and associated factors among older people with major neurocognitive disorder (NCD). Paper III focused on differences between major NCD subtypes, whereas paper IV compared people with major NCD against matched references from the total older population. In brief, overall psychotropic drug use was notably higher among people with major NCD, although generally in line with national treatment guidelines in terms of individual drugs of choice. The use of hypnotic drugs was also extensive in the reference group, and deprescribing efforts seem warranted, although longitudinal studies that focus on long-term use could provide a better picture of the potential problem. Nursing home stay was also positively associated with psychotropic drug use for all classes of psychotropic drugs, and the difference was most prominent for antipsychotic drugs. In that context, over 1,200 people in the reference population, most of them nursing home residents, had filled prescriptions for antipsychotic drugs, a figure indicating that the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms might also be an issue among older people who, due to various circumstances, have not been examined and diagnosed with neurocognitive disorders. Regarding major NCD subtypes, individuals with Lewy body dementia had, except for antidementia drugs, higher odds of psychotropic drug use than did those with Alzheimer’s disease. For example, the odds of antipsychotic drug use were more than twice as high, which is a worrying figure given that people with Lewy body dementia are extremely sensitive to the adverse effects of those specific drugs.In conclusion, this thesis illustrates the heterogeneity of demographics and drug use among older people and indicates that certain types of medication-related problems may be more relevant in certain older subpopulations. Medicines appear to be involved in many hospital admissions of older people, and the acute medical setting and subsequent care transitions are likely an important focus of pharmaceutical interventions. However, psychotropic drugs are probably not a major issue in that specific context. Efforts to reduce psychotropic drug use are likely more relevant to people with major NCD, especially in the nursing home setting. Antipsychotic drug exposure among persons with Lewy body dementia could be one such focus, especially since there are other better-balanced pharmacological treatment options for these individuals in terms of efficacy and safety profile.
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| 60. |
- Kindstedt, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Psychotropic drug use among older people with major neurocognitive disorder : a cross-sectional study based on Swedish national registries
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. - : Springer. - 0031-6970 .- 1432-1041. ; 78:3, s. 477-487
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Psychotropic medications include many drugs that may be inappropriate for older individuals with cognitive impairment. In Sweden, many people become registered in the Swedish Dementia Registry when they are diagnosed with major neurocognitive disorder (NCD). In this study, we aim to describe psychotropic drug use and associated factors among older Swedish people with major NCD.Methods: This study included 38,251 people ≥ 65 years from the Swedish registry for cognitive/dementia disorders diagnosed during 2007–2017. Drug use was defined as one or more filled prescription(s) recorded in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register during 1 July to 31 December 2017. Associations between psychotropics and age, sex, diagnosis date, Mini-Mental State Examination score and major NCD subtype were analysed through multiple logistic regression.Results: We found that 12.0% of the individuals filled at least one prescription for antipsychotics, 22.0% for anxiolytics, 23.0% for sedatives or hypnotics, 43.2% for antidepressants and 56.7% for antidementia drugs. In brief, psychotropic use was associated with female sex, higher age, longer time since diagnosis and specific subtypes of major NCD; the strongest association was found between antipsychotics and Lewy body dementia (odds ratio 2.40, 95% confidence interval 2.04–2.82).Conclusion: Psychotropic drugs were frequently dispensed among older Swedish people with major NCD. The use of antipsychotics and medications with sedative properties warrants concern, especially among those with Lewy body dementia who are severely sensitive to antipsychotics. A more restrictive prescribing pattern regarding these medications might reduce the risk of drug-related problems in this vulnerable group of people.
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