Role of comorbidities in caring for chronicly ill elderly patients with and without dementia.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim of this study is to highlight the presence of co-morbidities and their role in caring for chronicly ill patients with and without dementia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was performed on a group of 213 chronic patients. We used CIRS-G (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale in Geriatric Population) and IADL (Instrumental Activity Daily Living) scales. We compared the scores of severity and dependency. RESULTS: The most frequent co-morbidities in the study group were cardiac, vascular, locomotor, sensory organs and metabolic diseases. For the study group, the highest medium score of severity according to the CIRS-G scale was represented by cardiovascular diseases. For patients with dementia, psychiatric, cardiac, vascular, metabolic, genitourinary, sensory organs and locomotion domains had the highest score of severity and dependency. CONCLUSIONS: The health status of chronic patients with and without dementia is characterized by multiple pathologies with various degrees of severity and dependency.