[Pain in the elderly. A study of 183 consecutive subjects hospitalized in a geriatric medical ward].
OBJECTIVE
Determine the prevalence of pain and related demographic, somatic, emotional, and therapeutic variables in hospitalized elderly subjects.


METHODS
One hundred eighty-three elderly patients consecutively hospitalized in the geriatric medical unit were included in a cross-sectional study.


RESULTS
Pain was observed in 48.3% of patients with sustained cognitive function and 67.7% of patients with impaired cognitive function. In the first group (sustained cognitive function) no variable was significantly associated with pain except the diagnosis of general geriatric problems (falls, dehydration, drug intoxication). Conversely, in the second group (patients with impaired cognition) the presence of pain was significantly associated with a serious alteration of the somatic status (malnutrition, inflammation, bedridden status), poor prognosis (long-lasting hospitalization, death), and the presence of anxiety. Finally, patients suffering from pain did not receive pore pain killers than patients without pain.


CONCLUSIONS
This study clearly demonstrates that pain has a high prevalence in aged hospitalized patients, especially those who have impaired cognitive function. It reveals a relationship between pain, somatic and psychic deterioration, and deficiency in pain-killer prescriptions.
Radat
F
F
Hôpital Pellegrin-Tripode, Bordeaux.
Servant-Marcucci
S
S
Lancrenon
S
S
Alla
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis
D000700:Analgesics
La douleur chez le sujet âgé. Etude de 183 sujets hospitalisés de façon consécutive en médecine gériatrique.