title: The Comorbidity Symptom Scale: a combined disease inventory and assessment of symptom severity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop and evaluate a scale to quantify the presence and severity of symptoms arising from comorbid diseases in older people.
  
  
  METHODS
  A validation cohort study of hospital inpatients and outpatients aged 65 years and older.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Hospital and community in Northeast England.
  
  
  METHODS
  Development of the Comorbidity Symptom Scale-Convenience sample of 50 hospital inpatients and outpatients aged 65 years and older. Evaluation of the Comorbidity Symptom Scale- Convenience sample of 183 patients aged 65 years and older either awaiting cataract surgery or attending a geriatric day hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  For development of the Comorbidity Symptom Scale, 22 comorbid conditions were identified and incorporated into a questionnaire (the CmSS). Evaluation of the Comorbidity Symptom Scale-Assessments included the CmSS, activities of daily living, perceived health status, and anxiety and depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 23-item scale was developed. Reliability of the CmSS was demonstrated by a test-retest correlation coefficient for the total instrument score of r = 0. 87 (P < .001). The CmSS scores correlated with assessments of activities of daily living, perceived health status, and anxiety and depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The CmSS is a simple interviewer-administered tool for use in older people and provides an objective measure of the presence of comorbid disease and the patient's perception of severity of associated symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Newcastle, Sunderland Royal Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Crabtree
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hildreth
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*