Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Clin Interv Aging. 2024 May 18;19:901-910. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S462347. eCollection 2024.
Geriatric syndromes (GS) are prevalent in the older population, with an impact on morbidity and disability. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of functional dependence and ten GS in community older adults and to examine the different associations between these syndromes and sociodemographic variables and their impact on functional dependence.
A cross-sectional study of 342 outpatients seen at the geriatric clinic in the period 2015-2023.
The mean age was 75±7.4. One-third had functional dependence and 96.2% had at least one GS. The mean number of GS was 3.11±1.74, ranging from 2.56±1.67 in the 60s to 3.55±1.70 in octogenarians. The most common GS found were polypharmacy (79.5%), musculoskeletal pain (49.7%), and Major Neurocognitive Disorder (MND) (32.7%). Polypharmacy was significantly associated with female sex and chronic pain, whereas sensory impairment was associated with male sex. MND, dizziness, and urinary incontinence were the only GS that significantly predicted functional dependence and were typically associated with increasing age.
Functional dependence increases as individuals age, paralleled by increases in MND, urinary incontinence, dizziness, sensory impairment, and constipation. Notably, only MND, incontinence, depression, and dizziness were significant predictors of functional dependence. Consequently, it is imperative to screen older adults presenting with these syndromes for early signs of functional decline to optimize their function and avert subsequent dependence, morbidity, and mortality.
老年综合征（GS）在老年人群中普遍存在，对发病率和残疾有影响。本研究旨在调查社区老年人中功能依赖和 10 种 GS 的患病率，并探讨这些综合征与社会人口统计学变量之间的不同关联及其对功能依赖的影响。
这是一项 2015 年至 2023 年期间在老年科诊所就诊的 342 名门诊患者的横断面研究。
平均年龄为 75±7.4 岁。三分之一的患者有功能依赖，96.2%的患者至少有一种 GS。GS 的平均数量为 3.11±1.74，从 60 多岁的 2.56±1.67 到 80 多岁的 3.55±1.70。最常见的 GS 是多药治疗（79.5%）、肌肉骨骼疼痛（49.7%）和主要神经认知障碍（MND）（32.7%）。多药治疗与女性性别和慢性疼痛显著相关，而感觉障碍与男性性别相关。MND、头晕和尿失禁是唯一显著预测功能依赖的 GS，且通常与年龄增长相关。
随着个体年龄的增长，功能依赖增加，同时 MND、尿失禁、头晕、感觉障碍和便秘也增加。值得注意的是，只有 MND、尿失禁、抑郁和头晕是功能依赖的显著预测因素。因此，对出现这些综合征的老年人进行筛查，以早期发现功能下降迹象，优化其功能，避免随后的依赖、发病和死亡，这一点至关重要。
