A cross-sectional study of the prevalence of geriatric syndromes and age-related diseases among patients of geriatric hospital

Background. The aging of the population and the increase in the proportion of people in older age groups has become a worldwide trend. For doctors and health professionals, a significant increase in average life expectancy dictates the need to determine treatment tactics for patients of older age groups. Patient management strategy, prognosis for health and life, the need for outside help and care are determined by the identified geriatric syndromes. The occurrence of one geriatric syndrome increases the risk of other geriatric syndromes and, as a consequence, the development of frailty syndrome. Objective. Epidemiological evaluation of the prevalence of geriatric syndromes and age-related diseases in a geriatric hospital using a cross-sectional study. Methods. The study included all patients over 65 years old admitted to a hospital for war veterans, who gave informed consent to participate in the study. Research procedures included interviewing and evaluation of medical records. All participants underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), which included an interdisciplinary examination of physical status, mental health, social relations, satisfaction with the quality of life among the elderly using an individual participant registration card, which included a validated screening questionnaire «Age is not a hindrance» to identify the frailty syndrome. All patients underwent assessment using the Geriatric Depression Scale GDS-15, the Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living, the Lowton IADL scale, the SPPB and the Mini-Cog tests. Results. The results of the study indicate a wide prevalence of frailty syndrome among patients of a geriatric hospital; it was diagnosed in all patients studied. The most common diseases included osteoarthrosis (100% in the male and female groups) and arterial hypertension (97% among men and 98% among women) in all age groups. Chronic heart failure and stable angina ranked second in prevalence. More than half of men aged 65 and over suffered from prostate diseases (62%). Conclusion. In this study, an analysis of the incidence of geriatric syndromes and age-associated diseases in a geriatric hospital was carried out for the first time in the Russian Federation. The analysis made it possible to state a high frequency of in patients of this category (in 100% of cases). The results of the study show that among all the patients studied with frailty syndrome, the worst results (more than half of the patients did not complete the task) were found in the cognitive sphere. The cardiovascular diseases such as arterial hypertension, stable angina, and chronic heart failure, were the most common diseases. Prostate diseases were common among men, with urinary incontinence - the most troubling among women. The majority of patients in both groups suffered from visual and hearing impairments. The prevalence of diseases and the incidence of syndromes increased with age.

elderly person, geriatric syndromes, frailty syndrome, age-associated diseases