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Impact of hip fracture, heart failure and weight loss on the risk of institutionalization of community‐dwelling patients with dementia
Author(s) -
Harboun Marc,
Dorenlot Pascale,
Cohen Nadia,
SteinhagenThiessen Elisabeth,
Ankri Joël
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.2058
Subject(s) - dementia , medicine , hip fracture , heart failure , institutionalisation , context (archaeology) , cohort , physical therapy , population , cohort study , prospective cohort study , gerontology , disease , osteoporosis , surgery , psychiatry , paleontology , environmental health , biology
Objectives This study sought to identify the influence of medical symptoms and diseases on the risk of nursing home placement in a prospective cohort of newly diagnosed community‐dwelling patients with dementia. Study design and setting This study included 348 patients with dementia, consecutively diagnosed, recruited and followed at a geriatric outpatient center (mean age: 81 years, 65.5% with Alzheimer's disease, mean baseline MMSE score: 20.5, mean follow‐up: 20.5 months). Results After adjustment for factors commonly associated with institutionalization in this population, hip fracture in the 3 years preceding diagnosis, acute congestive heart failure during follow‐up and weight loss of more than 5% in any year during follow‐up were independently associated with nursing home placement. Conclusion This study confirms the independent contribution of specific medical symptoms and diseases to earlier institutionalization of patients with dementia. These results stress the importance of better knowledge of the specific characteristics of hip fracture, weight loss and congestive heart failure in the context of dementia, to make more effective prevention possible in this patient population. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.