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| 2. |
- Hoogendijk, Emiel O., et al.
(författare)
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Gait speed as predictor of transition into cognitive impairment: Findings from three longitudinal studies on aging
- 2020
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Ingår i: Experimental Gerontology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0531-5565 .- 1873-6815. ; 129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2019 The Authors Objectives: Very few studies looking at slow gait speed as early marker of cognitive decline investigated the competing risk of death. The current study examines associations between slow gait speed and transitions between cognitive states and death in later life. Methods: We performed a coordinated analysis of three longitudinal studies with 9 to 25 years of follow-up. Data were used from older adults participating in H70 (Sweden; n = 441; aged ≥70 years), InCHIANTI (Italy; n = 955; aged ≥65 years), and LASA (the Netherlands; n = 2824; aged ≥55 years). Cognitive states were distinguished using the Mini-Mental State Examination. Slow gait speed was defined as the lowest sex-specific quintile at baseline. Multistate models were performed, adjusted for age, sex and education. Results: Most effect estimates pointed in the same direction, with slow gait speed predicting forward transitions. In two cohort studies, slow gait speed predicted transitioning from mild to severe cognitive impairment (InCHIANTI: HR = 2.08, 95%CI = 1.40–3.07; LASA: HR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.01–1.75) and transitioning from a cognitively healthy state to death (H70: HR = 3.30, 95%CI = 1.74–6.28; LASA: HR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.30–2.21). Conclusions: Screening for slow gait speed may be useful for identifying older adults at risk of adverse outcomes such as cognitive decline and death. However, once in the stage of more advanced cognitive impairment, slow gait speed does not seem to predict transitioning to death anymore.
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| 3. |
- Rehnberg, Johan, 1986-
(författare)
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Inequalities in life and death : Income and mortality in an ageing population
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Income serves as an indicator of success relative to others, and provides individuals with resources that strengthen their capability to face challenges and benefit from opportunities. Out of all social determinants of health, income is one of the strongest predictors of health outcomes. The positive association between income and health in the working-age population is well established; those with higher income tend to have better health. Less is known about the association between income and health among older persons. Several studies have observed that in old age, health inequalities decrease and the relationship between income and health weakens. However, at what point in the ageing process the association starts to weaken, and to what extent, is debated.The ageing process highlights the need for several theoretical considerations in studies on income and health. Societies are stratified by age, as manifested through transitions in and out of education, work, and retirement. Moreover, the individual experience of the ageing process involves biological processes of decline. Many health problems, and particularly death, are uncommon events during most of adulthood. In old age, however, health decline becomes a normative experience, and in Sweden, more than 90 percent of all deaths occur among people aged 65 or older. The characteristics and magnitude of age-related changes in the association between income and mortality constitute one of the prime concerns in this thesis. I have used two contending perspectives to understand the empirical results: the cumulative (dis)advantage theory and the age-as-leveler hypothesis.In this thesis, I have investigated the association between income and mortality across ages, with a focus on later life. More specifically, I studied the shape and magnitude of the income-mortality association across the life course. Furthermore, I tested two potential mechanisms that may shape this association in old age: health decline and mortality selection. Overall, this thesis shows to what extent and in what ways the association between income and mortality is maintained in old ageThis thesis includes four empirical studies. Study I, II, and IV are based on data from Swedish national registers (n = 801,017 – 5,011,414). Study III used survey data (LNU and SWEOLD) linked with data from administrative registries (n = 2619). The results from Study I showed that the income-mortality association was curvilinear with diminishing returns of income in both mid-life and late-life. Study II showed that relative mortality inequalities in income decreased with age and absolute mortality inequalities in income increased with age up to age 85-90, after which the mortality inequalities decreased. The results from Study III showed that health decline partly explained the weakened income-mortality association among the oldest old. Finally, Study IV showed that selective mortality had a substantial impact on poverty rates in old age; poverty rates were consistently and substantially lower for those who survived than those who died. Furthermore, selective mortality had the largest influence on the surviving population when mortality rates were at their highest.
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| 4. |
- Rehnberg, Johan, 1986-, et al.
(författare)
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The Association between Education and Cognitive Performance Varies at Different Levels of Cognitive Performance : A Quantile Regression Approach
- 2024
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Ingår i: Gerontology. - 0304-324X .- 1423-0003. ; 70:3, s. 318-326
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Educational differences in cognitive performance among older adults are well documented. Studies that explore this association typically estimate a single average effect of education on cognitive performance. We argue that the processes that contribute to the association between education and cognitive performance are unlikely to have equal effects at all levels of cognitive performance. In this study, we employ an analytical approach that enables us to go beyond averages to examine the association between education and five measures of global and domain-specific cognitive performance across the outcome distributions. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,780 older adults aged 58–68 years from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Conditional quantile regression was used to examine variation across the outcome distribution. Cognitive outcomes included Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score, crystallized intelligence, information processing speed, episodic memory, and a composite score of global cognitive performance. Results: The results showed that the associations between education and different cognitive measures varied across the outcome distributions. Specifically, we found that education had a stronger association with crystallized intelligence, MMSE, and a composite cognitive performance measure in the lower tail of performance distributions. The associations between education and information processing speed and episodic memory were uniform across the outcome distributions. Conclusion: Larger associations between education and some domains of cognitive performance in the lower tail of the performance distributions imply that inequalities are primarily generated among individuals with lower performance rather than among average and high performers. Additionally, the varying associations across some of the outcome distributions indicate that estimating a single average effect through standard regression methods may overlook variations in cognitive performance between educational groups. Future studies should consider heterogeneity across the outcome distribution.
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| 5. |
- Robitaille, Annie, et al.
(författare)
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Transitions across cognitive states and death among older adults in relation to education: A multistate survival model using data from six longitudinal studies
- 2018
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Ingår i: Alzheimer's and Dementia. - : Wiley. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 14:4, s. 462-472
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Introduction: This study examines the role of educational attainment, an indicator of cognitive reserve, on transitions in later life between cognitive states (normal Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), mild MMSE impairment, and severe MMSE impairment) and death. Methods: Analysis of six international longitudinal studies was performed using a coordinated approach. Multistate survival models were used to estimate the transition patterns via different cognitive states. Life expectancies were estimated. Results: Across most studies, a higher level of education was associated with a lower risk of transitioning from normal MMSE to mild MMSE impairment but was not associated with other transitions. Those with higher levels of education and socioeconomic status had longer nonimpaired life expectancies. Discussion: This study highlights the importance of education in later life and that early life experiences can delay later compromised cognitive health. This study also demonstrates the feasibility and benefit in conducting coordinated analysis across multiple studies to validate findings.
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| 6. |
- Stuijfzand, Wijnand J, et al.
(författare)
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Relative flow reserve derived from quantitative perfusion imaging may not outperform stress myocardial blood flow for identification of hemodynamically significant coronary artery disease
- 2015
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Ingår i: Circulation Cardiovascular Imaging. - 1941-9651 .- 1942-0080. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Quantitative myocardial perfusion imaging is increasingly used for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Quantitative perfusion imaging allows to noninvasively calculate fractional flow reserve (FFR). This so-called relative flow reserve (RFR) is defined as the ratio of hyperemic myocardial blood flow (MBF) in a stenotic area to hyperemic MBF in a normal perfused area. The aim of this study was to assess the value of RFR in the detection of significant coronary artery disease.METHODS AND RESULTS: From a clinical population of patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent oxygen-15-labeled water cardiac positron emission tomography and invasive coronary angiography, 92 patients with single- or 2-vessel disease were included. Intermediate lesions (diameter stenosis, 30%-90%; n=75) were interrogated by FFR. Thirty-eight (41%) vessels were deemed hemodynamically significant (>90% stenosis or FFR≤0.80). Hyperemic MBF, coronary flow reserve, and RFR were lower for vessels with a hemodynamically significant lesion (2.01±0.78 versus 2.90±1.16 mL·min(-1)·g(-1); P<0.001, 2.27±1.03 versus 3.10±1.29; P<0.001, and 0.67±0.23 versus 0.93±0.15; P<0.001, respectively). The correlation between RFR and FFR was moderate (r=0.54; P<0.01). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.82 for RFR, which was not significantly higher compared with that for hyperemic MBF and coronary flow reserve (0.76; P=0.32 and 0.72; P=0.08, respectively).CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive estimation of FFR by quantitative perfusion positron emission tomography by calculating RFR is feasible, yet only a trend toward a slight improvement of diagnostic accuracy compared with hyperemic MBF assessment was determined.
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| 7. |
- Svantesson, Mia, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation : the development of an evaluation instrument for clinical ethics support (the Euro-MCD)
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Ethics. - London : BioMed Central. - 1472-6939. ; 15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Clinical ethics support, in particular Moral Case Deliberation, aims to support health care providers to manage ethically difficult situations. However, there is a lack of evaluation instruments regarding outcomes of clinical ethics support in general and regarding Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) in particular. There also is a lack of clarity and consensuses regarding which MCD outcomes are beneficial. In addition, MCD outcomes might be context-sensitive. Against this background, there is a need for a standardised but flexible outcome evaluation instrument. The aim of this study was to develop a multi-contextual evaluation instrument measuring health care providers' experiences and perceived importance of outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation.Methods: A multi-item instrument for assessing outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation (MCD) was constructed through an iterative process, founded on a literature review and modified through a multistep review by ethicists and health care providers. The instrument measures perceived importance of outcomes before and after MCD, as well as experienced outcomes during MCD and in daily work. A purposeful sample of 86 European participants contributed to a Delphi panel and content validity testing. The Delphi panel (n = 13), consisting of ethicists and ethics researchers, participated in three Delphi-rounds. Health care providers (n = 73) participated in the content validity testing through `think-aloud' interviews and a method using Content Validity Index.Results: The development process resulted in the European Moral Case Deliberation Outcomes Instrument (Euro-MCD), which consists of two sections, one to be completed before a participant's first MCD and the other after completing multiple MCDs. The instrument contains a few open-ended questions and 26 specific items with a corresponding rating/response scale representing various MCD outcomes. The items were categorised into the following six domains: Enhanced emotional support, Enhanced collaboration, Improved moral reflexivity, Improved moral attitude, Improvement on organizational level and Concrete results.Conclusions: A tentative instrument has been developed that seems to cover main outcomes of Moral Case Deliberation. The next step will be to test the Euro-MCD in a field study.
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| 9. |
- Vandenput, Liesbeth, et al.
(författare)
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A meta-analysis of previous falls and subsequent fracture risk in cohort studies
- 2024
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Ingår i: Osteoporosis International. - : Springer. - 0937-941X .- 1433-2965. ; 35:3, s. 469-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- SummaryThe relationship between self-reported falls and fracture risk was estimated in an international meta-analysis of individual-level data from 46 prospective cohorts. Previous falls were associated with an increased fracture risk in women and men and should be considered as an additional risk factor in the FRAX® algorithm.IntroductionPrevious falls are a well-documented risk factor for subsequent fracture but have not yet been incorporated into the FRAX algorithm. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in an international meta-analysis, the association between previous falls and subsequent fracture risk and its relation to sex, age, duration of follow-up, and bone mineral density (BMD).MethodsThe resource comprised 906,359 women and men (66.9% female) from 46 prospective cohorts. Previous falls were uniformly defined as any fall occurring during the previous year in 43 cohorts; the remaining three cohorts had a different question construct. The association between previous falls and fracture risk (any clinical fracture, osteoporotic fracture, major osteoporotic fracture, and hip fracture) was examined using an extension of the Poisson regression model in each cohort and each sex, followed by random-effects meta-analyses of the weighted beta coefficients.ResultsFalls in the past year were reported in 21.4% of individuals. During a follow-up of 9,102,207 person-years, 87,352 fractures occurred of which 19,509 were hip fractures. A previous fall was associated with a significantly increased risk of any clinical fracture both in women (hazard ratio (HR) 1.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33–1.51) and men (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.41–1.67). The HRs were of similar magnitude for osteoporotic, major osteoporotic fracture, and hip fracture. Sex significantly modified the association between previous fall and fracture risk, with predictive values being higher in men than in women (e.g., for major osteoporotic fracture, HR 1.53 (95% CI 1.27–1.84) in men vs. HR 1.32 (95% CI 1.20–1.45) in women, P for interaction = 0.013). The HRs associated with previous falls decreased with age in women and with duration of follow-up in men and women for most fracture outcomes. There was no evidence of an interaction between falls and BMD for fracture risk. Subsequent risk for a major osteoporotic fracture increased with each additional previous fall in women and men.ConclusionsA previous self-reported fall confers an increased risk of fracture that is largely independent of BMD. Previous falls should be considered as an additional risk factor in future iterations of FRAX to improve fracture risk prediction.
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| 10. |
- Vos, Stephanie J B, et al.
(författare)
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Modifiable Risk Factors for Prevention ofDementia in Midlife, Late Life and the Oldest-Old: Validation of the LIBRA Index.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD. - 1875-8908. ; 58:2, s. 537-547
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recently, the LIfestyle for BRAin health (LIBRA) index was developed to assess an individual's prevention potential for dementia.We investigated the predictive validity of the LIBRA index for incident dementia in midlife, late life, and the oldest-old.9,387 non-demented individuals were recruited from the European population-based DESCRIPA study. An individual's LIBRA index was calculated solely based on modifiable risk factors: depression, diabetes, physical activity, hypertension, obesity, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease, and mild/moderate alcohol use. Cox regression was used to test the predictive validity of LIBRA for dementia at follow-up (mean 7.2y, range 1-16).In midlife (55-69y, n=3,256) and late life (70-79y, n=4,320), the risk for dementia increased with higher LIBRA scores. Individuals in the intermediate- and high-risk groups had a higher risk of dementia than those in the low-risk group. In the oldest-old (80-97y, n=1,811), higher LIBRA scores did not increase the risk for dementia.LIBRA might be a useful tool to identify individuals for primary prevention interventions of dementia in midlife, and maybe in late life, but not in the oldest-old.
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