Clinical laboratory measures in relation to depression, disability, and cognitive impairment in elderly patients.
To characterize the dimensions of physiological abnormalities that commonly occur in older individuals in a residential care setting and to evaluate their association with clinical measures, the authors conducted an exploratory factor analysis on clinical laboratory measures from a sample of 231 elderly residents (mean age: 86) living in a nursing home and congregate apartment facility. An eight-factor solution accounted for 70.2% of the variance in these measures; factors identified were interpreted as indices of renal function, protein/calorie/nutritional status, serum electrolytes/osmolarity, liver function, acute-phase processes, plasma lipids, acid/base status, and renal-tubular function. The nutritional factor was significantly associated with measures of disability and the presence of depression. The acute-phase processes factor was significantly associated with cognitive impairment.
Mago
R
R
The University of Pennsylvania Health System, Department of Psychiatry, Section on Geriatric Psychiatry, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Bilker
W
W
Ten Have
T
T
Harralson
T
T
Streim
J
J
Parmalee
P
P
Katz
I R
IR
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010414:Pennsylvania; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors