BACKGROUND Low socioeconomic status is a risk factor for liver cirrhosis, but it is unknown whether it is a prognostic factor after cirrhosis diagnosis. We examined whether marital status, employment, and personal income were associated with the survival of cirrhosis patients. METHODS Using registry-data we conducted a population-based cohort study of 1,765 Danish cirrhosis patients diagnosed...

BACKGROUND Currently, there are many studies focusing on the influencing factors of the elderly people's living arrangements or health status, but little is known about the relationship between living arrangements or health status and long-term care models for the old-age, especially the joint effects. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the effects of health status and living arrangements on long-t...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated factors related to frailty, by Fried criteria, in the elderly population in a rural area in the Andes Mountains, and to analyze the relationship of these with comorbidity and disability. METHODS A cross-sectional study was undertaken involving 1878 participants 60 years of age and older. The frailty syndrome was diagnosed b...

UNLABELLED Prevalence of cirrhosis among older adults is expected to increase; therefore, we studied the health status, functional disability, and need for supportive care in a large national sample of individuals with cirrhosis. A prospective cohort of individuals with cirrhosis was identified within the longitudinal, nationally representative Health and Retirement Study. Cirrhosis cases were ...

OBJECTIVE To examine the association of BMI with functional status and self-rated health among US adults and how the association differs by age and sex. METHODS AND PROCEDURES All analyses are based on the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 1997-2005, a yearly, representative study of the US household population. We pooled all survey years and fitted logistic regression for the two sexe...

OBJECTIVE To compare morbidity, disability (ADL-IADL disability) along with behavioral and biological correlates of diseases and disability of two elderly population groups (tea garden workers and urban dwellers) living in same geographical location. METHODS Two hundred and ninety three and 230 elderly from urban setting and tea garden respectively aged > 60 years were included in the study. ...

Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and disabling disease of the nervous system. This study was conducted to determine the effect of isometric exercises on balance and ability in the patients with MS.  Methods: Sixty MS patients participated in this randomized controlled trial study and patients were randomly assigned into treatment and control groups. Treatment group partici...

BACKGROUND Japan is setting the pace among aging societies of the world. In 2005, Japan became the country with the highest proportion of elderly persons in the world. To deal with the accelerated ageing population and with an increased demand for long-term care services, in April 2000 the Japanese government introduced a mandatory social Long-Term Care Insurance System (LTCI), making long-term...