• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2004

Purpose: To evaluate a usefulness of the simple radiograph in the patients with chronic shoulder pain 50 years and older. Material and method: 1152 patients with chronic shoulder pain and 100 asymptomatic individuals were involved in this study. All patients were 50 years and older. We excluded patients who had a history of fracture or dislocation. Radiographic interpretation was performed on a shoulder AP view, an axillary view and a supraspinatus outlet view. For statistical analysis, a chi-square test was performed. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Abnormal radiologic findings were identified in 369(32%) out of 1152 patients with a shoulder pain: greater tuberosity sclerosis, acromial sclerosis, subacromial osteophytes are common abnormal radiologic findings. A rotator cuff tear or impingement syndrome was identified on a final diagnosis in 61(85.2%) out of the 76 patients with radiologic abnormalities in both greater tuberosity and acromion (p<0.05). Abnormal radiologic findings were identified in 18% of the asymptomatic individuals. Conclusion: Simple radiographic analysis is an important primary diagnostic tool in patients (50 years and old) with chronic shoulder pain.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.12-21
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• 2017

Purpose: This study attempts to examine the effects of a horticultural program on activities of daily living (ADL) and depression among older patients with mild dementia. Methods: This study adopted a quasi-experimental design-based nonequivalent control group pretest and posttest design, enrolling 30 older patients with mild dementia. The Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale was utilized, while the data was collected from the experimental group for 60 minutes, twice weekly for 6 weeks in 12 sessions. ADL and depression were assessed for both the experimental and the control group. Overall functions were assessed only for the experimental group. Results: The experimental group showed improvement in physical function, cognitive function, as well as psychological, emotional function and social function following each session (p<.001). The horticulture program was effective in both ADL ($Z^2=5.65$, p<.001) and depression (t=-5.24, p<.001). Conclusion: In this study, the horticultural therapy based on the Cox's interaction model had positive effects for older patients with mild dementia. Therefore, horticultural therapy may be commendably applied to older patients with mild dementia as a nursing intervention.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.2
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• pp.145-154
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• 2024

The consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are particularly severe in older adults with a disproportionate number of severe and fatal outcomes. Therefore, this integrative review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical characteristics, management approaches, and prognosis of older patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Common clinical presentations in older patients include fever, cough, and dyspnea. Additionally, preexisting comorbidities, especially diabetes and pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, were frequently observed and associated with adverse outcomes. Management strategies varied, however, early diagnosis, vigilant monitoring, and multidisciplinary care were identified as key factors for enhancing patient outcomes. Nonetheless, the prognosis remains guarded for older patients, with increased rates of hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and mortality. However, timely therapeutic interventions, especially antiviral and supportive treatments, have demonstrated some efficacy in mitigating the severe consequences in this age group. In conclusion, while older adults remain highly susceptible to severe outcomes from COVID-19, early intervention, rigorous monitoring, and comprehensive care can play a pivotal role in improving their clinical outcomes.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.5
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• pp.412-416
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• 2007

Background: The possibility of developing pulmonary tuberculosis usually increases with increasing age. Therefore, the incidence of endobronchial tuberculosis in older people may increase. We evaluated the clinical characteristics in patients with endobronchial tuberculosis above the age of 70 years. Methods: We enrolled 74 patients (12 males and 62 females; mean age $64.6{\pm}16.2 $years) that were diagnosed with endobronchial tuberculosis from March 2003 to July 2006 at Gyeongsang University Hospital. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics of endobronchial tuberculosis for patients 70 years or older (older group) and for patients below the age of 70 years (younger group). Results: The number of patients in the older group was 41 (55%). Cough was the most common symptom in the two groups of patients and dyspnea on exertion was more common in the older group of patients than in the younger group of patients (31.7% vs. 12.1%). The actively caesating type of disease was more common in the younger group of patients than in the older group of patients (66.7% vs. 39%). The edematous type of disease was more common in the older group of patients than in the younger group of patients (53.7% vs. 27.2%) (p<0.05). Tracheal and main bronchial involvement of lesions were more common for the younger group of patients than for the older group of patients (30.3% vs. 9.7%) (p<0.05). Conclusion: Endobronchial tuberculosis was commonly observed in patients older than 70 years and this group of patients had some clinical characteristics that were different from the younger group of patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1161-1167
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• 1991

The study consisted of all patients undergoing surgical repair of isolated secundum type atrial septal defect in patients ages 35 years or older for the period from October 1986 to October 1991. ASD was closed with direct suture in all patients. Response to surgery was excellent. Two patients who had atrial fibrillation was taken low-dose warfarin therapy to prevent stroke. All patients survived operation, and improved by at least one New York Heart Association functional classification. An old age was not a contraindication to surgery.

• Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.204-216
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine effects of a muscle strength reinforcement exercise program (MSREP) for older adult patients with hemodialysis (OAPHD) which was designed to improve health status and quality of life of these older adult patients. Methods: Participants were 40 patients with OAPHD: 20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. MSREP was conducted with the experimental group for 12 weeks at H geriatric hospital. An assessment was done to determine effects on physical performance, inflammation index, fatigue, muscle strength and quality of life. Short physical performance battery, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), visual analog scale for fatigue, object lifting' proposed by the Life Options Rehabilitation Advisory Council, sit-to-stand test, and quality of life index were used to gather data. Results: Between the 2 groups there was no significant difference in scores for physical performance, fatigue or quality of life. However, the 2 groups showed significant difference in CRP values and muscle power scores on post-test. Conclusion: Findings provide evidence for the potential utility of education for older adult patients with hemodialysis. Also, this program could allow these patients to increase muscle strength, and contribute to achieving better health conditions in OAPHD care.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.550-558
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• 2001

Background : It has been reported that younger patients with lung cancer have characteristic features that differ from those in older patients. The prognosis for young patients with this disease is controversial. This study aimed to determine the clinicopathological characteristics, the survival rate, and the risk factors associated with the overall survival rate in younger patients with lung cancer. Methods : The records of 120 young(age${\leq}40$) patients with histologically confirmed lung cancer in the Korea Caneer Center Hospital(KCCH) between Jan. 1992 and Dec. 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. Of 5,082 lung cancer patients registered at the KCCH from 1992 to 1998, 120 older(age>40) patients were randomly selected as the controls. Results : More female patients(45.0% vs. 20.0%, p<0.001) and more adenocarcinoma cases(64.2% vs.38.3%, p<0.001) were found in the younger group, when compared to the older patients. In NSCLC, advanced disease(stage IIIB and IV) was more common in the younger patients(90.2%) than in the older patients(62.7%) (p<0.001). The Median survival was 8.6 months in the younger patients and 12.2 months in the older(p=0.003). In a multivariate analysis, only the advanced-stage was an independent negative prognostic factor. Conclusions : Lung cancer in the younger age group presents with a more advanced stage resulting in a poor survival rate, which suggests that lung cancer in this population is more aggressive than in older patients.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.146-155
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• 2023

Background: Despite the recent increasing trend in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among older individuals, the relationship between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in these patients remains unclear. This study investigated the severity of renal dysfunction according to the degree of DR in older patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 116 patients with diabetes and CKD stage ≥3 who visited both the nephrology and ophthalmology outpatient departments between July 2021 and January 2022 were screened. There were 53 patients in the no DR group, 20 in the nonproliferative DR (NPDR) group, and 43 in the proliferative DR (PDR) group. Results: DR severity was related to the deterioration of renal function. The proportion of patients with advanced CKD significantly increased with DR severity (p for trend <0.001). In the multivariate regression model adjusted for age of ≥80 years, male sex, poorly controlled diabetes, macroalbuminuria, insulin use, diabetes duration of ≥10 years, cerebrovascular accident, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease history, the odds ratio compared with the no DR group was approximately 4.6 for the NPDR group and approximately 11.8 for the PDR group, which were both statistically significant (p=0.025 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: DR severity in older patients with diabetes may be associated with deterioration of renal function and high prevalence of advanced CKD. Therefore, periodic examination for DR in older patients with diabetes is important for predicting renal function deterioration and CKD progression.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.303-314
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• 2023

Purpose: The incidence of early gastric cancer is increasing in older patients alongside life expectancy. For early gastric cancer of the upper third of the stomach, laparoscopic function-preserving gastrectomy (LFPG), including laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (LPG) and laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy (LSTG), is expected to be an alternative to laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). However, whether LFPG has advantages over LTG in older patients remains unknown. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data of consecutive patients aged ≥75 years who underwent LTG, LPG, or LSTG for cT1N0M0 gastric cancer between 2005 and 2019. Surgical and nutritional outcomes, including blood parameters, percentage body weight (%BW) and percentage skeletal muscle index (%SMI) were compared between LTG and LPG or LSTG. Survival outcomes were also compared between LTG and LFPG groups. Results: A total of 111 patients who underwent LTG (n=39), LPG (n=48), and LSTG (n=24) were enrolled in this study. To match the surgical indications, LTG was further categorized into "LTG for LPG" (LTG-P) and "LTG for LSTG" (LTG-S). No significant differences were identified in the incidence of postoperative complications among the procedures. Postoperative nutritional parameters, %BW and %SMI were better after LPG and LSTG than after LTG-P and LTG-S, respectively. The survival outcomes of LFPG were better than those of LTG. Conclusions: LFPG is safe for older patients and has advantages over LTG in terms of postoperative nutritional parameters, body weight, skeletal muscle-sparing, and survival. Therefore, LFPG for upper early gastric cancer should be considered in older patients.

• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.142-151
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• 2017

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) has a high mortality rate. Research has demonstrated that sICH occurrence is related to weather conditions; therefore, this study used the decision tree method to explore the impact of climatic risk factors on sICH at different ages. The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) and other open-access data were used in this study. The inclusion criterion was a first-attack sICH. The decision tree algorithm and random forest were implemented in R programming language. We defined a high risk of sICH as more than the average number of cases daily, and the younger, middle-aged and older groups were calculated as having 0.77, 2.26 and 2.60 cases per day, respectively. In total, 22,684 sICH cases were included in this study; 3,102 patients were younger (<44 years, younger group), 9,089 were middle-aged (45-64 years, middle group), and 10,457 were older (>65 years, older group). The risk of sICH in the younger group was not correlated with temperature, wind speed or humidity. The middle group had two decision nodes: a higher risk if the maximum temperature was >$19^{\circ}C$ (probability = 63.7%), and if the maximum temperature was <$19^{\circ}C$ in addition to a wind speed <2.788 (m/s) (probability = 60.9%). The older group had a higher risk if the average temperature was >$23.933^{\circ}C$ (probability = 60.7%). This study demonstrated that the sICH incidence in the younger patients was not significantly correlated with weather factors; that in the middle-aged sICH patients was highly-correlated with the apparent temperature; and that in the older sICH patients was highly-correlated with the mean ambient temperature. "Warm" cold ambient temperatures resulted in a higher risk of sICH, especially in the older patients.