TY  - JOUR
AB  - BACKGROUND: The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) updated in 2018 the cut-off points for low grip strength to assess sarcopenia based on pooled data from 12 British studies. OBJECTIVE: Comparison of the EWGSOP2 cut-off points for low grip strength to those derived from a large German sample. METHODS: We assessed the grip strength distribution across age and derived low grip strength cut-off points for men and women (peak mean -2.5 × SD) based on 200,389 German National Cohort (NAKO) participants aged 19-75 years. In 1,012 Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA)-Age participants aged 65-93 years, we calculated the age-standardised prevalence of low grip strength and time-dependent sensitivity and specificity for all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Grip strength increased in the third and fourth decade of life and declined afterwards. Calculated cut-off points for low grip strength were 29 kg for men and 18 kg for women. In KORA-Age, the age-standardised prevalence of low grip strength was 1.5× higher for NAKO-derived (17.7%) compared to EWGSOP2 (11.7%) cut-off points. NAKO-derived cut-off points yielded a higher sensitivity and lower specificity for all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Cut-off points for low grip strength from German population-based data were 2 kg higher than the EWGSOP2 cut-off points. Higher cut-off points increase the sensitivity, thereby suggesting an intervention for more patients at risk, while other individuals might receive additional diagnostics/treatment without the urgent need. Research on the effectiveness of intervention in patients with low grip strength defined by different cut-off points is needed.
AU  - Huemer, M.-T.
AU  - Kluttig, A.*
AU  - Fischer, B.*
AU  - Ahrens, W.*
AU  - Castell, S.*
AU  - Ebert, N.*
AU  - Gastell, S.*
AU  - Jöckel, K.H.*
AU  - Kaaks, R.*
AU  - Karch, A.*
AU  - Keil, T.*
AU  - Kemmling, Y.*
AU  - Krist, L.*
AU  - Leitzmann, M.*
AU  - Lieb, W.*
AU  - Meinke-Franze, C.*
AU  - Michels, K.B.*
AU  - Mikolajczyk, R.*
AU  - Moreno Velásquez, I.*
AU  - Pischon, T.*
AU  - Schipf, S.*
AU  - Schmidt, B.*
AU  - Schöttker, B.*
AU  - Schulze, M.B.*
AU  - Stocker, H.*
AU  - Teismann, H.*
AU  - Wirkner, K.*
AU  - Drey, M.*
AU  - Peters, A.
AU  - Thorand, B.
C1  - 67349
C2  - 54186
CY  - Great Clarendon St, Oxford Ox2 6dp, England
TI  - Grip strength values and cut-off points based on over 200,000 adults of the German National Cohort - a comparison to the EWGSOP2 cut-off points.
JO  - Age Ageing
VL  - 52
IS  - 1
PB  - Oxford Univ Press
PY  - 2023
SN  - 0002-0729
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose a population-based study in the region of Augsburg (Germany, KORA) was used to identify the prevalence of eye diseases and their risk factors in a sample of aged individuals. Methods data originated from the KORA-Age study collected in 2012 and 822 participants (49.6% women, 50.4% men, aged 68–96 years) were asked standardised questions about eye diseases. Positive answers were validated and specified by treating ophthalmologists. Additional information came from laboratory data. Polymorphic markers were tested for candidate genes. Results we received validations and specifications for 339 participants. The most frequent eye diseases were cataracts (299 cases, 36%), dry eyes (120 cases, 15%), glaucoma (72 cases, 9%) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (68 cases, 8%). Almost all participants suffering from glaucoma or from AMD also had cataracts. Cataract surgery was associated with diabetes (in men; OR = 2.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11–4.53; P  = 0.025) and smoking (in women; OR = 6.77; CI 1.62–28.35; P = 0.009). In men, treatments in airway diseases was associated with cataracts (glucocorticoids: OR = 5.29, CI 1.20–23.37; P = 0.028; sympathomimetics: OR = 4.57, CI 1.39–15.00; P = 0.012). Polymorphisms in two genes were associated with AMD (ARMS2: OR = 2.28, CI 1.48–3.51; P = 0.005; CFH: OR = 2.03, CI 1.35–3.06; P = 0.010). Conclusion combinations of eye diseases were frequent at old age. The importance of classical risk factors like diabetes, hypertension and airway diseases decreased either due to a survivor bias leaving healthier survivors in the older age group, or due to an increased influence of other up to now unknown risk factors.  
AU  - Reitmeir, P.
AU  - Linkohr, B.
AU  - Heier, M.
AU  - Molnos, S.
AU  - Strobl, R.*
AU  - Schulz, H.
AU  - Breier, M.
AU  - Faus-Kessler, T.
AU  - Küster, D.M.
AU  - Wulff, A.
AU  - Grallert, H.
AU  - Grill, E.*
AU  - Peters, A.
AU  - Graw, J.
C1  - 50001
C2  - 41962
CY  - Oxford
SP  - 481-486
TI  - Common eye diseases in older adults of Southern Germany: Results from the KORA-Age Study.
JO  - Age Ageing
VL  - 46
IS  - 3
PB  - Oxford Univ Press
PY  - 2017
SN  - 0002-0729
ER  - 

TY  - JOUR
AB  - BACKGROUND: prior literature suggests that comorbidity with depression significantly worsens the health state of people with chronic diseases. OBJECTIVE: the present study examines whether depressed mood increased medical care use for patients with a comorbid physical disease.Design, setting and subjects: the study was a population-based study (KORA-Age), with 3,938 participants aged 64-94. METHODS: we investigated differences in health services use in participants with and without depressed mood (Geriatric Depression Scale). A further adjustment for disease was done and differences were examined with the Mann-Whitney U test. The incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for doctors' appointments or the number of days in hospital were explored with (zero-inflated) negative binomial regression models. RESULTS: there are increased self-neglecting behaviours and medical comorbidities in participants with depressed mood. Depressed mood increased participants' use of medical services (P < 0.0001). Among participants who visited the doctor during the last 3 months, those with depressed mood had more visits than those without depressed mood, irrespective of somatic comorbidities (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05 for ill and healthy, respectively). Additionally, patients with coexisting depressed mood and physical disease visited the doctor's practice significantly more often. Having depressed mood significantly increases the likelihood for more doctor visits (IRR = 1.5, CI = 1.3-1.7) and longer hospital stays (IRR = 1.9, CI = 1.6-2.3). In participants with somatic comorbidities the risk is even greater (IRR = 1.6, CI = 1.3-2, for the number of doctors visits and IRR = 2, CI = 1.4-2.9, for the number of days in the hospital). CONCLUSIONS: results suggest that patients with depressed mood had increased use of health-care services overall, particularly those with somatic comorbidities.
AU  - Lacruz, M.E.
AU  - Emeny, R.T.
AU  - Haefner, S.
AU  - Zimmermann, A.-K.
AU  - Linkohr, B.
AU  - Holle, R.
AU  - Ladwig, K.-H.
C1  - 6805
C2  - 29289
SP  - 183-190
TI  - Relation between depressed mood, somatic comorbidities and health service utilisation in older adults: Results from the KORA-Age study.
JO  - Age Ageing
VL  - 41
IS  - 2
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
PY  - 2012
SN  - 0002-0729
ER  -