OBJECTIVES to compare erythrocyte thiamine pyrophosphate concentrations in elderly people with those in healthy younger people; to determine if any differences can be attributed to age or to co-morbidities. DESIGN cross-sectional and 3-year longitudinal surveys. SETTING primary care. PATIENTS 100 volunteer blood donors and 222 elderly people from a general practice register. MEASUREMENT...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the construct validity of a bathroom scale measuring balance in elderly people. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Participants were recruited via nursing homes and an organization that provides exercise classes for community-dwelling elderly people. PARTICIPANTS Nursing home patients were compared with active community-dwelling elderly people. Eligibility cri...