A lot of civilization diseases are related to a low-quality diet, which is often determined by environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between the quality of diet and the selected metabolic diseases, as well as demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status among Polish seniors. The study was conducted on the basis of the KomPAN questionnaire (Questionnaire for Dietary Views and Habits). The research sample was chosen arbitrarily. In addition, in order to diversify the research sample, the use of the snowball method was used. The study was conducted from June to September 2019 in a group of 437 people aged 60 or more years in two regions of Poland. Two diet quality indices with a potentially beneficial (pHDI-10) and adverse impact on health (pHDI-14) were selected based on data on the frequency of consumption of 24 food groups using the KomPAN questionnaire data development procedure. Based on the intensities (low, moderate, high) and combinations of these indices, three diet quality index profiles were developed with potentially different influences on health: lower (lowest), middle (intermediate) and upper (highest). Logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between diet quality indices, some metabolic diseases (obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes type 2), demographic characteristics (gender, age, place of residence), and socioeconomic status (low, moderate, high). It was shown that in the examined seniors with selected metabolic diseases, the higher quality diet was more common among women, urban inhabitants and subjects with higher socioeconomic status. In turn, among the elderly with obesity, a high-quality diet was observed more often in people aged 60–74 years and those with type II diabetes at ages 75 years or more. The relationships between diet quality, demographic characteristics and socioeconomic status were demonstrated, but it was not possible to obtain unambiguous results on the relationship of these variables with the occurrence of metabolic diseases. Further extended studies should assess the importance of diet quality in reducing the risk of metabolic diseases in the elderly, taking into account the variability resulting from the environmental characteristics of the study population.

Background: The association of sarcopenia and frailty syndrome with dietary patterns is not yet well recognized. The aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association among dietary patterns, suspected sarcopenia, and frailty syndrome among older people in Poland. Methods: The study was conducted in 2022 and 2023 among people aged 55 and older. The sample was chosen arbitrarily. The following questionnaires were used in the study: the KomPAN (assessment of frequency of food intake and sociodemographic characteristics), the SARC-F (assessment of risk of sarcopenia), and the EFS (diagnosis of frailty syndrome). To confirm the suspicion of sarcopenia, muscle strength was assessed using the HGS and FTSST, and physical fitness was assessed using the GST. Based on the frequency of food consumption, 11 DPs (factors) were selected using PCA analysis. SARC-F, HGS, FTSST, and GST results were used to identify homogeneous groups (clusters) using cluster analysis, a k-means method. Results: Two clusters were identified: cluster 1 (the non-sarcopenic cluster, or nSC) and cluster 2 (the sarcopenic cluster, or SC). Associations between variables were assessed using logistic regression. Suspected sarcopenia was found in 32.0% of respondents, more in men than women, and more among those either over 75 or 65 and under. EFS results showed that the risk (22.1%) or presence of frailty syndrome (23.8%) was more common in men than women and more common in those aged 75 and older than in other age groups. Male gender; older age; and unfavorable dietary patterns, i.e., consumption of white bread and bakery products, white rice and pasta, butter, and potatoes (factor 1) and cheese, cured meat, smoked sausages, and hot dogs (factor 9), increased the likelihood of sarcopenia and frailty syndrome, while the pattern associated with fruit and water consumption (factor 7) had the opposite effect. Conclusions: Confirmation of the importance of dietary patterns in the etiology and pathogenesis of sarcopenia and frailty syndrome should be documented in prospective cohort studies.

Background: The COVID-GRAM is a clinical risk rating score for predicting the prognosis of hospitalized COVID-19 infected patients. Aim: Our study aimed to evaluate the use of the COVID-GRAM score in patients with COVID-19 based on the data from the COronavirus in the LOwer Silesia (COLOS) registry. Material and methods: The study group (834 patients of Caucasian patients) was retrospectively divided into three arms according to the risk achieved on the COVID-GRAM score calculated at the time of hospital admission (between February 2020 and July 2021): low, medium, and high risk. The Omnibus chi-square test, Fisher test, and Welch ANOVA were used in the statistical analysis. Post-hoc analysis for continuous variables was performed using Tukey’s correction with the Games–Howell test. Additionally, the ROC analysis was performed over time using inverse probability of censorship (IPCW) estimation. The GRAM-COVID score was estimated from the time-dependent area under the curve (AUC). Results: Most patients (65%) had a low risk of complications on the COVID-GRAM scale. There were 113 patients in the high-risk group (13%). In the medium- and high-risk groups, comorbidities occurred statistically significantly more often, e.g., hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and flutter, heart failure, valvular disease, chronic kidney disease, and obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), compared to low-risk tier subjects. These individuals were also patients with a higher incidence of neurological and cardiac complications in the past. Low saturation of oxygen values on admission, changes in C-reactive protein, leukocytosis, hyperglycemia, and procalcitonin level were associated with an increased risk of death during hospitalization. The troponin level was an independent mortality factor. A change from low to medium category reduced the overall survival probability by more than 8 times and from low to high by 25 times. The factor with the strongest impact on survival was the absence of other diseases. The medium-risk patient group was more likely to require dialysis during hospitalization. The need for antibiotics was more significant in the high-risk group on the GRAM score. Conclusion: The COVID-GRAM score corresponds well with total mortality. The factor with the strongest impact on survival was the absence of other diseases. The worst prognosis was for patients who were unconscious during admission. Patients with higher COVID-GRAM score were significantly less likely to return to full health during follow-up. There is a continuing need to develop reliable, easy-to-adopt tools for stratifying the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is among the most frequent comorbidities worsening COVID-19 outcome. Nevertheless, there are no data regarding the optimal risk stratification of patients with diabetes and COVID-19. Since individual C₂HEST components reflect the comorbidities, we assumed that the score could predict COVID-19 outcomes. Material and Methods: A total of 2184 medical records of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the medical university center were analyzed, including 473 diabetic patients and 1666 patients without any glucose or metabolic abnormalities. The variables of patients’ baseline characteristics were retrieved to calculate the C₂HEST score and subsequently the diabetic and non-diabetic subjects were assigned to the following categories: low-, medium- or high-risk. The measured outcomes included: in-hospital mortality; 3-month and 6-month all-cause mortality; non-fatal end of hospitalization (discharged home/sudden-deterioration/rehabilitation) and adverse in-hospital clinical events. Results: A total of 194 deaths (41%) were reported in the diabetic cohort, including 115 in-hospital deaths (24.3%). The 3-month and 6-month in-hospital mortality was highest in the high-risk C₂HEST stratum. The C₂HEST score revealed to be more sensitive in non-diabetic-group. The estimated six-month survival probability for high-risk subjects reached 0.4 in both cohorts whereas for the low-risk group, the six-month survival probability was 0.7 in the diabetic vs. 0.85 in the non-diabetic group—levels which were maintained during whole observation period. In both cohorts, receiver operating characteristics revealed that C₂HEST predicts the following: cardiogenic shock; acute heart failure; myocardial injury; and in-hospital acute kidney injury. Conclusions: We demonstrated the usefulness and performance of the C₂HEST score in predicting the adverse COVID-19 outcomes in hospitalized diabetic subjects.

Background/Objectives: Fatty liver disease (FLD) is currently the most common liver disorder, affecting 25–30% of the global population. Its occurrence is strongly associated with overweight, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. In 2020, the disease definition was revised from NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) to MAFLD (metabolic-associated fatty liver disease), emphasizing its link to metabolic dysfunction and marking a major shift in clinical evaluation and risk stratification. We assessed the association between MAFLD and cardiovascular risk factors in a geriatric population by comparing patients with and without fatty liver disease and evaluating the influence of selected metabolic and echocardiographic parameters on MAFLD prevalence. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using data from patients treated at the Department of Geriatrics, the University Clinical Hospital, in Wrocław. The study included 237 patients diagnosed with fatty liver disease and 148 controls without liver pathology. The groups were compared in terms of comorbidities, laboratory abnormalities, body mass index (BMI), and left ventricular hypertrophy. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the association between the severity of selected variables and the risk of MAFLD. Results: Patients with MAFLD had significantly higher body weight and BMI compared to controls. Diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia were more frequent in the MAFLD group, whereas HDL and vitamin D3 levels were lower. Echocardiographic indicators of left ventricular hypertrophy [IVSd, LVPWd, (IVSd + LVPWd)/2] were significantly elevated in MAFLD patients. Conclusions: This study confirms a strong association between MAFLD and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly patients. The inclusion of a control group allowed for more precise evaluation, supporting the role of MAFLD as an independent cardiometabolic risk indicator in geriatric care.

In Poland, the elderly population is noticeably increasing every year. Therefore, the current healthcare system has to rise to the challenge of treatment and prevention strategies targeting elderly persons. Based on the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13 scale), consisting of international and validated scales, we put effort into identifying the factors affecting the increased percentage of CGA (Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment) recommendations by healthcare system physicians. The study group involved 78 patients from the Department of Geriatrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland, aged 60–91 (median Me = 81 years old). Of the studied patients, 51 were recommended for CGA (51/78; 64.6%). A statistically significant association was observed between CGA recommendation and age (p < 0.001); the likelihood of a CGA recommendation increased with age. Furthermore, the increased CGA recommendation was observed among geriatric patients with: (a) frailty syndrome (OR = 11.2, CI95% 2.88–43.5, p < 0.001), (b) high risk of malnutrition or malnutrition (OR = 3.87; CI95%, 1.00–14.9, p = 0.04), (c) low mental status (OR = 3.32, CI95% 1.22–9.09, p = 0.029), (d) low ability to perform basic daily duties (according to ADL scale—OR = 12.6, CI95% 1.57–101, p = 0.004 and IADL scale—OR = 4.71, CI95% 1.72–12.9, p = 0.003), and (e) fall risk (OR = 15.0, CI95% 4.67–48.3, p < 0.001). Moreover, homocysteine levels increased with age (p = 0.003) and decreased with sleep duration (p = 0.043). Taken together, all these factors seem to be important when implementing treatment programs adjusted to the individual geriatric patient.