Reduced physical function is an independent risk factor for composite and individual cardiovascular events, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and heart failure (HF) in older adults, according to new observational data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

A poor combined score on tests of hearing, vision, smell, and touch is associated with a higher risk for dementia and cognitive decline among older adults, new research suggests. The study, which included almost 1800 participants, adds to emerging evidence that even mild levels of multisensory impairment are associated with accelerated cognitive aging, the researchers note.

Eczema, long thought to be a childhood disease, is also common among older adults, a population-based study has found. The study by Katrina Abuabara, MD, MSCE, and Alexa Magyari, BA, both from University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues was published online December 3 in Annals of Internal Medicine. The authors analyzed data from the Health Improvement Network, a primary care cohort that is representative of the United Kingdom population, from between 1994 and 2013. In the United Kingdom, primary care physicians manage 97% of patients with atopic eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis or eczema.

@jiban Menstrual irregularities are often overlooked in young women without further work-up, especially in patients who have chronic illnesses. Results should be viewed with caution because studies including the larger numbers of girls did not report the criteria used to diagnose PCOS, which is a challenge during adolescence.

@minti The most common cause of delayed puberty is a functional delay in production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamic neuronal networks that synergize to initiate the episodic or pulsatile release of the GnRH. GnRH then stimulates pituitary production of the gonadotropins: luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulates steroidogenesis in the gonads, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which stimulates gametogenesis. This delay may be due to individual genetic variations, known as constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP), or other functional defects, such as undernutrition or chronic illness. The resulting GnRH deficiency leads to delays in the secretion of LH and FSH and the subsequent gonadal secretion of sex steroids and in gametogenesis. Other causes of delayed puberty include a variety of hypothalamic, pituitary, and gonadal disorders.