Biomedical subjects

Jong-Ling Fuh

Publications and source records attributed to Jong-Ling Fuh.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1999

Comorbidity of headaches and depression in the elderly.

The comorbidity of headache and depression is rarely studied in the elderly. Confounders were seldom controlled in previous studies. From August 1993 to March 1994, we conducted a door-to-door survey to investigate the relationship of headache and depression in a Chinese elderly population (age > or = 65 years old) in two townships of Kinmen, Taiwan. A total of 1421 participants (71%) out of 2003 eligible citizens completed five measurements: a structured headache interview, Geriatric Depression Scale-short form (GDS-S), a survey of chronic medical illness. Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument and an evaluation of activities of daily living. Headache diagnoses were made according to the criteria of the International Headache Society (IHS), 1988. Depression was defined as a GDS-S score > or = 8. After adjustment for confounding, subjects with more frequent headaches, more severe headaches, diagnoses of IHS migraine or chronic tension-type headaches in the past year, or a lifetime history of any headache including migraine were more likely to be depressed. In addition, the most relevant headache-related predictors of depression were the presence of any reported lifetime headache (odds ratio (OR) = 1.8, P < 0.01) and headache frequency > or = 7 days/month in the past year (OR = 2.0, P = 0.01). This study provided evidence that headache is independently associated with depression in the elderly. A high comorbidity of depression was found in the elderly with IHS migraine or chronic tension-type headaches. Not only the headache profile in the past year but also that in their lifetime was important in predicting current depression in the elderly. 1

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Waist circumference predicts metabolic cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal Chinese women.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to compare the differences in metabolic cardiovascular risk factors among postmenopausal Chinese women with or without abdominal obesity. DESIGN: The study is a cross-sectional, population-based, comparative cohort study. Each participant received anthropometric measurements and a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test after an overnight fast. The homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance and the insulin sensitivity index, ISI, were used as measures of insulin resistance. A "metabolic cardiovascular risk score" was calculated from fasting insulin, glucose, lipids, and blood pressure. General linear models (GLM) were fit to examine the relation of waist circumference (WC) to insulin resistance and metabolic risk scores.(0,120). RESULTS: According to the International Obesity Task Force obesity criteria for Asians, 57 women had abdominal obesity (WC >/= 80 cm), and 58 had WCs less than 80 cm. The two groups were comparable in demographic variables and body mass index (BMI). The women with larger WCs were more insulin-resistant than their counterparts. The metabolic risk scores were significantly higher in women with abdominal obesity than in those without it. The results from the GLM showed that WC was an independent predictor of insulin resistance and metabolic risk scores after controlling for demographic variables (0.06- and 0.29-unit increases in homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance and metabolic risk scores per 1 cm change in WC). Moreover, BMI neither correlated with metabolic risk scores nor affected the WC effects on insulin resistance and metabolic risk scores in the GLM. CONCLUSIONS: Postmenopausal Chinese women with abdominal obesity may carry higher metabolic cardiovascular risk than those without it. It is WC, not BMI, that predicts metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in these women.

Abdomen↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of Short Form-36 and Migraine Disability Assessment questionnaire in patients with migraine.

BACKGROUND: The Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaires are two of the most commonly used tools to measure outcomes in people suffering from headaches. Nevertheless, little is known about their interrelationship in patients with headache. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the interrelationship between SF-36 and MIDAS questionnaires in patients with migraine. METHODS: We enrolled 231 patients with migraine (male/female: 43/188, mean age 35.3+/-8.1) who visited our headache clinic. They completed the SF-36, MIDAS, and a headache intake form. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients between the MIDAS score and 8 domains of the SF-36 ranged from -0.30 for the mental health domain to -0.53 for the social functioning domain (P<0.01). Canonical correlation analysis showed that the overall overlap between the 2 instruments was moderately strong (canonical correlation coefficients r=0.707 and 0.572). The overall measured redundancies for MIDAS and SF-36 scales in this study were 35.4% and 11.5%, respectively. The stepwise linear regression model showed that the social functioning domain alone explained 27.9% of variance in the MIDAS scores. Bodily pain, physical functioning, and general health domains added an additional 11.4% of the explained variance in the regression model. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that these two measures were considerably correlated, the MIDAS and SF-36 were found to measure different aspects of the impact of headache for the sample investigated. The MIDAS questionnaire does not cover the emotional domain; therefore, an accompanying psychological questionnaire might help assess the outcome for headache studies.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Neuropsychiatric inventory workshop: behavioral and psychologic symptoms of dementia in Asia.

The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) was introduced in 1994 and has since become a standard instrument for clinical trials and other types of behavioral research in dementing disorders. Its reliability and validity have been confirmed. The NPI was the subject of a workshop in Asia in conjunction with the International Workgroup on Dementia Drug Guidelines (IWG). Investigators using the NPI from 4 Asian areas--Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand--presented conclusions from their research. A high prevalence of behavioral disturbances across Asian countries was found and the rates are similar to those observed in Western countries. Apathy is more difficult to detect and characterize in Asian populations. Neurobiologic studies show an excess of some serotonin receptor gene polymorphisms in patients without behavioral disturbances and positron emission tomography reveals reductions in frontal lobe metabolism in patients manifesting depression as measured by the NPI. Studies in Thailand show relationships among verbal fluency, activities of daily living, and neuropsychiatric symptoms particularly agitation, apathy, and disinhibition. This suggests a triad of symptoms of behavioral abnormalities, executive dysfunction, and abnormalities of activities of daily living that impugn frontal lobe function. The NPI is a reliable and useful instrument to characterize behavioral changes in Asian and Western populations.

Asia↗