Immobility syndrome frequence in a geriatric ward

• Autor(a) principal: Ribeiro,Carla Araujo
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Silva,Denise de Alvarenga Marcondes e, Rizzo,Luciano Almeida, Ventura,Maurício Miranda
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Geriatrics, Gerontology and Aging (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://ggaging.com/details/235
• topic: Prevalence, aged, terminal care, dementia.

<p><b>INTRODUCTION:</b> Population aging is a world-wide phenomenon. Increasing number of elderly elevate rates of chronic degenerative diseases, with loss of functionality and immobility. The causes of impaired mobility are multifactorial, predominantly neurological and musculoskeletal. Management and prevention of immobility syndrome is interdisciplinary.<br> <b>OBJECTIVE:</b> To determine the prevalence of the immobility syndrome in Hospital do Servidor P&uacute;blico Estadual geriatric ward.<br> <b>MATERIALS AND METHODS:</b> From August 24 to September 24 of 2009, all patients admitted in geriatric ward were evaluated, in order to identify which of them fulfilled diagnostic criteria for the immobility syndrome.<br> <b>RESULTS:</b> Of 47 patients, twelve of them (12/25.53%) met criteria for the immobility syndrome. Eleven (11/91.6%) were females, with mean age of 85.3 years. Regarding the reason for admission at the geriatric ward, 75% were infectious etiologies: pneumonia (5/41.66%) and urinary tract infection (4/33%).<br> <b>CONCLUSION:</b> When comparing patients with immobility syndrome and general population of this geriatric ward, there was little difference in age, 85.3 and 83.1 years, and the hospitalization stay, 12.08 and 12.47 days, respectively. Mortality observed was 50% for those patients with immobility syndrome and 25% for the general population geriatric ward. Further studies addressing this issue are important to choose its priorities, with lower rates of iatrogenic, promoting improvements in clinical and familiar approaches of this population.</p>