title: Clustering of geriatric deficits emerges to be an essential feature of ageing - results of a cross-sectional study in Poland.
abstract: The majority of old people suffer from various clinical conditions that affect health, functioning and quality of life. This research is a part of a cross-sectional, nationwide PolSenior Study that provides a comprehensive assessment of eight geriatric impairments and their co-occurrence in a representative sample (3471 participant aged 65-104 years, mean age 78.3 years) of the old adults living in the community in Poland. The participants were recruited randomly from all administrative regions of Poland by a three-stage, proportional, stratified-by-age group selection process. Eight geriatric conditions were assessed: falls, incontinences, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, vision and hearing impairments, malnutrition, and functional dependence. We showed that the most common deficits causing disability were vision and hearing impairments, and mood disorders, with more than two thirds of the participants presented at least one geriatric deficit. We showed that presence any of the analyzed conditions significantly increased the risk for co-occurrence of other examined weaknesses. The highest prevalence odds ratios were for functional dependence and, respectively: malnutrition (8.61, 95%CI:4.70-15.80), incontinences (8.0, 95%CI:5.93-10.70), and cognitive impairment (7.22; 95%CI:5.91-8.83). We concluded that the majority of the old people living in the community present various clinical conditions that prompt disability.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-531Krakow, Poland.
authors: Karolina
authors: K
authors: Piotrowicz
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-034 Kraków, Poland.
authors: Agnieszka
authors: A
authors: Pac
authors: Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-531Krakow, Poland.
authors: Anna Barbara
authors: AB
authors: Skalska
authors: Department of Pathophysiology, Medical Faculty in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-752 Katowice, Poland.|Department of Nephrology, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Medical Faculty in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, 40-027 Katowice, Poland.
authors: Jerzy
authors: J
authors: Chudek
authors: Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-531Krakow, Poland.
authors: Alicja
authors: A
authors: Klich-Rączka
authors: International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Aleksandra
authors: A
authors: Szybalska
authors: Geneva Medical School and University Hospitals- Rehabilitation and Geriatrics, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Jean-Pierre
authors: JP
authors: Michel
authors: Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 31-531Krakow, Poland.
authors: Tomasz
authors: T
authors: Grodzicki
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011044:Poland; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: deficit accumulation; epidemiology; geriatric deficit; geriatric impairment; geriatric syndrome