[Self health evaluation using a visual analog scale for elderly patients presenting with pain or early dementia].
OBJECTIVE
Sixteen elderly patients with early dementia and 20 elderly patients with pain, all hospitalized in a geriatric hospital, evaluated their memory, health and mood, using a visual analog scale. Observations of their families and of the medical staff were also recorded for subsequent comparison. The patients' complaints were also compared to those of a control group including 16 healthy elderly subjects.


RESULTS
Patients with early dementia complained more often than control subjects of memory loss and health and mood disorders, while patients with pain complained more often of only health and mood disorders. However, only patients with dementia complained of memory loss. Complaints noticed by their families and medical staff were in good agreement with theirs. Regarding patients with early dementia, the medical staff underestimated their complaint of memory loss.


CONCLUSIONS
Visual analog scales appear to be valuable tools regarding not only evaluation of pain but also the patients' general condition. Complaints of memory loss could be of value as they would suggest the existence of early dementia in elderly patients. However, our study emphasizes the need for training medical staff to listen to such a complaint.
Sabbagh
N
N
Service de gérontologie clinique, CHU la Charité, Saint-Etienne, France.
Antérion
C T
CT
Girtanner
C
C
Cadet
L
L
Grangette
F V
FV
Gonthier
R
R
D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
L'autoévaluation de la santé par une échelle visuelle analogique chez des sujets âgés ressentant une douleur ou ayant une démence débutante.