Journal of the Indian Academy of Geriatrics (Jan 2018)
Prevalence of Non Communicable Diseases in Elderly
Abstract
Background: Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality. A progressive rise in the disease pattern of NCD foretells a serious public health issue. Objective: To estimate risk factors in non-communicable diseases and to identify the various morbidities in the geriatric population in males and females. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study performed in 540 geriatric patients of 60 years and above in a tertiary care hospital. A structured questionnaire was conducted to collect socio demographic information. Functional status was assessed by the basic activities of daily living. BMI and blood pressure was recorded in all subjects. Mini-mental scale, musculoskeletal history and examination, hearing test by bedside and ophthalmology examination for cataract was performed in all patients. HMG, LFT RFT, blood glucose, lipids, ECG, 2D echocardiography, ultrasound abdomen, mammography and bone densitometry (BMD) by quantitative ultra sonography was done in all patients. CXR, PFT, CT/MRI brain was performed in selected patients Results: Out of 540 geriatric patients, 310 patients were males, and 230 were females. Osteopenia (40%) and Osteoporosis (24%) was seen in females. Among the morbidities, Hypertension and Ischaemic heart disease were more in males. Arthritis and Anaemia were more in females which was statistically significant (p=0.001) Conclusion: There is an urgent need to develop geriatric health care services by providing training to health care providers to manage the commonly existing health problems among the elderly.
