Analysis of dehydration in older people in a nursing home in Spain: prevalence and associated factors

Background: dehydration in institutionalized elderly people has not been extensively studied. There are not clear data on the Spanish context. Aim: to estimate the prevalence of dehydration and to identify the associated factors in institutionalized older people in a nursing home. Methods: a cross-sectional study was carried out. Dehydration was measured through the colour of urine. For the identification of the associated factors, sociodemographic, clinical, functional, and mental variables were selected. Results: the total sample studied was comprised of 96 individuals with a mean age of 86.6 years (± 7.1), of whom 80.2 % were women. The prevalence of dehydration was 31.3% (95 % CI, 22.0 to 40.6). The factors that were independently associated with dehydration were the presence of sunken eyes (OR = 8.67; p = 0.004), low fluid intake (OR = 3.96; p = 0.041), and both functional (OR = 0.97; p = 0.012) and cognitive (OR = 1.10; p = 0.009) impairment. Conclusions: this study highlights the problem of dehydration in institutionalized older people in Spain. An urine colour table may be used routinely, non-invasively, and cheaply. So, it may well be the best simple method for detecting dehydration in this population. Taking into account that chronic dehydration is most prevalent in elderly people, the identification of associated factors is a key factor for a successful approach.