ObjectivesTo establish the prevalence and course of geriatric syndromes from hospital admission up to 3 months postdischarge and to determine the probability to retain geriatric syndromes over the period from discharge until 3 months postdischarge, once they are present at admission.DesignProspective multicenter cohort study conducted between October 2015 and June 2017.Setting and participantsAcutely hospitalized patients aged 70 years and older recruited from internal, cardiology, and geriatric wards of 6 Dutch hospitals.MeasuresCognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, apathy, pain, malnutrition, incontinence, dizziness, fatigue, mobility impairment, functional impairment, fall risk, and fear of falling were assessed at admission, discharge, and 1, 2, and 3 months postdischarge. Generalized estimating equations analysis were performed to analyze the course of syndromes and to determine the probability to retain syndromes.ResultsA total of 401 participants [mean age (standard deviation) 79.7 (6.7)] were included. At admission, a median of 5 geriatric syndromes were present. Most prevalent were fatigue (77.2%), functional impairment (62.3%), apathy (57.5%), mobility impairment (54.6%), and fear of falling (40.6%). At 3 months postdischarge, an average of 3 syndromes were present, of which mobility impairment (52.7%), fatigue (48.1%), and functional impairment (42.5%) were most prevalent. Tracking analysis showed that geriatric syndromes that were present at admission were likely to be retained. The following 6 geriatric syndromes were most likely to stay present postdischarge: mobility impairment, incontinence, cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, functional impairment, and fear of falling.ImplicationsAcutely hospitalized older adults exhibit a broad spectrum of highly prevalent geriatric syndromes. Moreover, patients are likely to retain symptoms that are present at admission postdischarge. Our study underscores the need to address a wide range of syndromes at admission, the importance of communication on syndromes to the next care provider, and the need for adequate follow-up care and syndrome management postdischarge.
OBJECTIVE: Depression among older adults predicts mortality after acute hospitalization. Depression is highly heterogeneous in its presentation of symptoms, whereas individual symptoms may differ in predictive value. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of individual cognitive-affective depressive symptoms during acute hospitalization and investigate the predictive value of both overall and individual cognitive-affective depressive symptoms for mortality between admission up to 3-month postdischarge among older patients.METHODS: A prospective multicenter cohort study enrolled 401 acutely hospitalized patients 70 years and older (Hospitalization-Associated Disability and impact on daily Life Study). The predictive value of depressive symptoms, assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale 15, during acute hospitalization on mortality was analyzed with multiple logistic regression.RESULTS: The analytic sample included 398 patients (M (SD) = 79.6 (6.6) years; 51% men). Results showed that 9.3% of participants died within 3 months, with symptoms of apathy being most frequently reported. The depression total score during hospitalization was associated with increased mortality risk (admission: odds ratio [OR] = 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2-1.3; discharge: OR = 1.2, 95% CI = 1.2-1.4). Stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses yielded the finding that feelings of hopelessness during acute hospitalization were a strong unique predictor of mortality (admission: OR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.8-7.4; discharge: OR = 5.7, 95% CI = 2.5-13.1). These associations were robust to adjustment for demographic factors, somatic symptoms, and medical comorbidities.CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of apathy were most frequently reported in response to acute hospitalization. However, feelings of hopelessness about their situation were the strongest cognitive-affective predictor of mortality. These results imply that this item is important in identifying patients who are in the last phase of their lives and for whom palliative care may be important.
