title: Chronic diseases, cognition, functional decline, and the Charlson index in elderly people with dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between chronic degenerative diseases and functional decline, cognition, and mortality prediction.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in a geriatrics service in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, involving 424 patients subdivided into two groups: control and dementia. The study analyzed socio-demographic and environmental data, chronic degenerative diseases, the Charlson index, and data on functional and cognitive dementia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a univariate analysis, there was a greater frequency of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), urinary incontinence, constipation, and sleep disorder in the dementia group, while the multivariate analysis showed a greater number of environmental factors and sleep disorder. Regarding the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), CVA, and heart failure presented lower scores. There was a greater score in the dementia group with regarding the Charlson index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These comorbidities were associated with the functional decline in elderly people with dementia.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP), Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil. fpimenta@medicina.ufop.br
authors.forename: Fausto Aloísio Pedrosa
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Pimenta
authors.forename: Maria Aparecida Camargos
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bicalho
authors.forename: Marco Aurélio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Romano-Silva
authors.forename: Edgar Nunes de
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.forename: Nilton Alves de
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Rezende
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Chronic disease; Comorbidade; Comorbidity; Deficiency; Deficiência; Dementia; Demência; Doença crônica; Elderly person; Idoso