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ABSTRACT: Background
Advanced age is a major determinant of mortality and poor outcome at any level. In hospitalized patients, advanced age is a major issue in terms of prognosis, resource use, and therapeutic choices.Aims
We aimed at assessing the 1 year outcome of elderly patients admitted to a neurology unit for various acute conditions.Methods
Consecutive patients admitted to a neurology unit were enrolled and followed-up at 3, 6, and 12 months with structured phone interviews gathering information about mortality, disability, hospital readmissions, and place of residency. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 85 years, availability of written consent and phone contact; no exclusion criteria were applied.Results
Over a period of 16 months, 131 patients (88.8 ± 3.3, 92 females, 39 males) were admitted. The pre-hospitalization modified Rankin Scale (mRS) median (IQR) score, obtainable in 125 patients, was 2 (0, 3) and > 3 in 28/125 (22.4%) patients. Fifty-eight (46.8%) patients had pre-existing dementia (this information was missing for one patient). Eleven patients died during hospitalization. Of the 120 discharged patients, 60 (50%) were alive at 12 months, 41 died during follow-up (34.2%), and 19 (15.8%) were lost. At 12 months, out of the 60 alive patients, 29 (48.3%) had a mRS > 3. We did not detect predictors of 12-month survival. Predictors of 12-month worsening of functional status were pre-hospitalization mRS, pre-existing cognitive impairment, and male sex.Conclusions
One-year mortality of elderly patients admitted to a neurology unit is extremely high. After one year, less than one fourth of elderly patients hospitalised for an acute neurological disease are left with only no-to-moderate disability.
SUBMITTER: Querzola G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10363031 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Querzola Giacomo G Bellomo Andrea A Salvadori Emilia E Pantoni Leonardo L
Aging clinical and experimental research 20230618 8
<h4>Background</h4>Advanced age is a major determinant of mortality and poor outcome at any level. In hospitalized patients, advanced age is a major issue in terms of prognosis, resource use, and therapeutic choices.<h4>Aims</h4>We aimed at assessing the 1 year outcome of elderly patients admitted to a neurology unit for various acute conditions.<h4>Methods</h4>Consecutive patients admitted to a neurology unit were enrolled and followed-up at 3, 6, and 12 months with structured phone interviews ...[more]