Background Ageing is a universal phenomenon; almost 5.3% of the entire population is a major concern to health economists 1. By 2020 it will be 177 million elderly people, aged above 60 years. Ageing process is as such complex and multi-factorial. Chronic morbidities like diabetes and hypertension are becoming common health problems among the geriatric population 2. High geriatric population means a higher number of patients with various chronic diseases and increasing percentage of lifetime health care costs are accounted for this population. Longevity will have a greater chance of developing diseases that occur more commonly during later life; many individuals will also live with chronic illnesses 3. Of all the diseases, diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases affecting a large number of elderly populations along with hypertension which play a major role on the quality of life of the elderly and the healthcare costs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that the prevalence of diabetes will double in the next 20 years, in part due to the aging of the population 4. Several studies showed a significant association between residual beta-cell function and various vascular complications of diabetes including hypertension that is confirmed in a large clinical cohort study of patients with type 1 diabetes, 10. In contrast to these studies in type 1 diabetes, several studies 11-13 have reported conflicting results on the association between serum C-peptide levels and vascular complications in type 2 diabetes.
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a respiratory disorder characterized by longstanding airflow obstruction caused by emphysema or chronic bronchitis. 1 COPD is responsible for significant morbidity, early mortality, high death rates and substantial costs to the healthcare system. COPD is projected to be the third most frequent cause of death worldwide by 2020 and the fifth leading cause of years lost through early disability. 2 Elderly people are especially prone to the adverse health effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a common disorder in that population. Although the prevalence and morbidity of COPD in the elderly are high, it is often undiagnosed. 3 In its early stages COPD is sometimes missed, as COPD patients learn to limit their physical activities to escape the gradually emerging dyspnea on exertion. So
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