@article {1432, title = {High density lipoprotein cholesterol subfractions in older people.}, journal = {J Gerontol}, volume = {49}, year = {1994}, month = {1994 May}, pages = {M116-22}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: High density lipoprotein (HDL) may be an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in older people. HDL is heterogeneous with several subfractions. This article describes the distribution and correlates of HDL2 cholesterol (C) and HDL3-C in older people.

METHODS: HDL subfraction cholesterols were measured in 1,127 females and 825 males > or = 65 years old who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Distributions of HDL subfraction cholesterols and bivariate and multivariate relationships were determined in cross-sectional analyses.

RESULTS: Mean (+/- SD) concentrations of HDL subfractions were: HDL3-C (M .98 +/- .25, F 1.2 +/- .29 mmol/l), HDL2-C (M .09 +/- .08, F .13 +/- .09 mmol/l). HDL2-C, but not HDL3-C, was slightly higher with age. Using multivariate analysis, both HDL2-C and HDL3-C (in females) were inversely correlated with triglyceride, body weight, and fasting insulin; HDL3-C was inversely correlated with central fat distribution in women. Both HDL2-C and HDL3-C were lower in participants with prevalent cardiovascular disease. However, only HDL3-C was significantly inversely related to carotid stenosis, as measured by ultrasound.

CONCLUSIONS: The slight increase in HDL-C with age appears to be due to an increase in the HDL2-C subfraction. HDL-C subfractions are independently related to triglyceride levels, body weight, and insulin concentrations in older people, all potentially modifiable risk factors. Both HDL2-C and HDL3-C are lower in older people with prevalent cardiovascular disease, although only HDL3-C was correlated with carotid atherosclerosis. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that HDL subfractions are important risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the elderly.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alcohol Drinking, Body Weight, Carotid Stenosis, Cholesterol, Cholesterol, HDL, Cholesterol, LDL, Cohort Studies, Coronary Disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Drug Therapy, Female, Humans, Insulin, Lipoproteins, HDL, Lipoproteins, HDL2, Lipoproteins, HDL3, Male, Sex Factors, Socioeconomic Factors}, issn = {0022-1422}, author = {Ettinger, W H and Verdery, R B and Wahl, P W and Fried, L P} } @article {1424, title = {Self-reported causes of physical disability in older people: the Cardiovascular Health Study. CHS Collaborative Research Group.}, journal = {J Am Geriatr Soc}, volume = {42}, year = {1994}, month = {1994 Oct}, pages = {1035-44}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVE: To determine the major conditions and symptoms reported to cause difficulty in 17 physical tasks of daily life and the criterion validity of self-report of diseases given as the causes of the difficulty in functioning, in community-dwelling older people.

DESIGN: Cross sectional analyses of data obtained in an observational cohort study.

SETTING: Research clinics in four US communities: Winston-Salem, NC, Hagerstown, MD, Pittsburgh, PA, and Sacramento, CA.

PARTICIPANTS: 5201 community-dwelling people > or = 65 years old.

RESULTS: Arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases were given as the primary causes of difficulty in performing physical tasks by 49.0\% of the participants reporting difficulty in any task, followed by heart disease (13.7\%), injury (12.0\%), old age (11.7\%), lung disease (6.0\%), and stroke (2.9\%). The self-reports of diseases that caused disability varied by task. Whereas arthritis was given as a cause of difficulty in most of the 17 different tasks, heart and lung disease were more likely to be reported as causing difficulty with activities requiring high aerobic work capacity such as walking one-half mile or doing heavy housework. Stroke was more likely to be reported as causing difficulty with use of the upper extremities and in performing basic activities of daily living. There was a high degree of consistency (91\%) between the diseases and symptoms reported to cause disabilities. The percentage of people who reported a disease as the cause of their difficulty performing a task and had independent confirmation of the diagnosis was 85\% in men and 71\% in women, and varied according to type of disease and the individual{\textquoteright}s cognitive status and health status.

CONCLUSION: These data suggest that age-related chronic diseases are important causes of disability in older people but that the type of disability is dependent on the underlying disease that causes the disability. Also, self-report of the cause of disability appears to be generally accurate but is influenced by gender, health status, and type of disease.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Arthritis, Cardiovascular Diseases, Chronic Disease, Cohort Studies, Cross-Sectional Studies, Disabled Persons, Female, Health Status, Health Surveys, Heart Diseases, Humans, Lung Diseases, Male, Observer Variation, Reproducibility of Results, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, United States}, issn = {0002-8614}, author = {Ettinger, W H and Fried, L P and Harris, T and Shemanski, L and Schulz, R and Robbins, J} }