The impact of somatic and cognitive disorders on the functional status of the elderly

• Published in: Journal of clinical epidemiology Vol. 55; no. 10; pp. 1007 - 1012
• Main Authors: Agüero-Torres, Hedda, Thomas, Vince S, Winblad, Bengt, Fratiglioni, Laura
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.10.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Chronic Disease; Cognition Disorders - complications; Cognition Disorders - physiopathology; Cognitive function; Dementia - complications; Dementia - physiopathology; Elderly; Female; Functional status; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Prevalence; Prevention and actions; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Somatic disorders; Specific populations (family, woman, child, elderly...); Functional status; Somatic disorders; Cognitive function; Elderly; Human; Nervous system diseases; Cognitive disorder; Physical performance; Functional deficit; Epidemiology; Cerebral disorder; Disability; Central nervous system disease; Functional dependence; Degenerative disease; Public health; Dementia
• ISSN: 0895-4356; 1878-5921
• DOI: 10.1016/S0895-4356(02)00461-4

To estimate the relative effects of coexisting nondementia illnesses on the probability of functional disability, depending on the presence of cognitive impairment or dementia, we used data from the baseline case–control assessment of a longitudinal study of aging and dementia. Our study included 668 subjects (345 nondemented, 98 cognitively impaired, and 225 demented), aged 75 and older. Demented subjects had greater disability prevalence on all specific instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and activities of daily living (ADL) items than cognitively impaired subjects who, in turn, had greater disability than nondemented subjects. Somatic illnesses were found to be associated with particular tasks in item specific models; decreasing MMSE was strongly associated with the probability of IADL and ADL disability, which increased dramatically in the presence of somatic illnesses among cognitively impaired as well as demented subjects. Attention to illnesses among cognitively impaired and demented people may shed light on remediable factors crucial to their daily functioning.