Research and Clinical Medicine (Dec 2016)
Cognitive status in elderly patients with hip fracture in western Romania
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the cognitive status of geriatric patients hospitalised for fall-related MATERIALS AND METHODS 100 patients aged ≥65 years, successively admitted to the Orthopedic Units of the Emergency County Hospital Timișoara, between March and October 2016, for fallrelated hip fractures, were assessed in order to evaluate cognitive dysfunction using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). RESULTS Subjects had a mean (±standard deviation) age of 81.4±6.11 and 76% were female patients. The prevalence of dementia in the studied group was 92%. 13 patients had severe dementia (MMSE score 0-10), 62 moderate (MMSE score 11-20), 17 mild (MMSE score 21-25) and 8 subjects had a normal cognitive function (MMSE score ≥26). 14 out of the total number of patients were previously diagnosed with dementia, but only 8 of them received specific medication. CONCLUSIONS Given the high prevalence of dementia among hospitalised elderly patients with hip fractures in our sample, research evaluating in order to highlight the cognitive risk factors is a necessary step towards improving functional outcome. REFERENCES 1.Seitz DP, Gill SS, Gruneir A, Austin PC, Anderson GM, Bell CM et al. Effects of dementia on postoperative outcomes of older adults with hip fractures: a population-based study. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2014;15:334-41. 2.Mundi S, Chaudhry H, Bhandari M. Systematic review on the inclusion of patients with cognitive impairment in hip fracture trials: a missed opportunity? Can J Surg. 2014;57:141-45. 3.Allen J, Koziak A, Buddingh S, Liang J, Buckingham J, Beaupre LA. Rehabilitation in Patients with Dementia Following Hip Fracture: A Systematic Review. Physiother Can. 2012;64:190–201.
