Gender roles, age, income and social support interacted with physical and emotional health, and with the continuity of social participation of elderly caregivers. Special attention must be given to male caregivers.

At digestive form it was reported minor scores in the quality of life domains and greater ones on depressive symptom levels. There was a negative correlation between BDI and WHOQOL-BREF, suggesting that, among Chagas disease patients, the higher is the quality of life the lower is the intensity of depressive symptoms.

The objectives of this study were to establish the prevalence of Chagas' disease among HIV seropositive patients and to define the clinical profile of co-infected cases. Cross-sectional study: the prevalence of co-infected subjects was 1.3% and there was no significant difference between co-infected and non co-infected patients relative to race, birthplace, home address and CD4 T cells. The co-infected group comprised predominantly women and mean age and median viral load were higher. Longitudinal study: included 20 patients (12 women) and described the clinical presentation and natural history of concomitant infections. The mean follow-up time was 35.8 months, mean age was 43+/-8.7 years and 60% of patients were white. During the follow-up, a total of 113 serological tests for Chagas' disease were performed: 89 (78.8%) were reactive/positive, 21 (18.6%) were doubtful and three (2.6%) were non-reactive/negative. Positive results for xenodiagnosis were high (81%). At the baseline evaluation, thirteen patients had the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease and seven cardiopathy. One patient developed from indeterminate to digestive form, three had a reactivation of Chagas' disease in the central nervous system, all had parasitological confirmation and received specific treatment. There were 11 deaths. Thus, HIV-infected patients should be tested for Chagas' disease when epidemiologically relevant.

nonadhesion (OR: 7.092). The associated events which better predict the drug non-adhesion were: "living alone" (OR: 4.346) and "side effects" (OR: 8.219).

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This study aimed to identify the main comorbidities in elderly chagasic patients treated in a reference service and identify possible associations between the clinical form of Chagas' disease and chronic diseases. Ninety patients aged 60 years-old or over were interviewed and their clinical diagnoses recorded. The study population profile was: women (55.6%); median age (67 years); married (51.1%); retired (73.3%); up to four years' education (64.4%); and earning less than two minimum wages (67.8%). The predominant forms of Chagas' disease were the cardiac (46.7%) and mixed forms (30%). There was a greater proportion of mild cardiac dysfunction (84.1%), frequently in association with megaesophagus. The mean number of concurrent diseases was 2.856 +/- 1.845, and 33% of the patients had four or more comorbidities. The most frequent were systemic arterial hypertension (56.7%), osteoporosis (23.3%), osteoarthritis (21.2%) and dyslipidemia (20%). Positive correlations were verified between sex and comorbidities and between age group and comorbidities.

A satisfação com a vida e a funcionalidade em idosos atendidos em um ambulatório de geriatriaSatisfaction with life and functionality among elderly patients in a geriatric outpatient clinic

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