Geriatric syndromes in the population older than 90 years: The prevalence and association with chronic diseases

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of geriatric syndromes and comorbid conditions, as well as their interrelationships, in individuals aged 90 years and over. Methods: This study included participants aged 90 years and older who underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment in a tertiary geriatric outpatient clinic. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained using the electronic medical records. The geriatric syndrome burden was calculated by adding each syndrome, which was then stratified into one of two groups based on the median value: no or low burden (<4) and high burden (>= 4). The modified Charlson comorbidity index was used to determine chronic disease burden. Results: A total of 235 participants (93.2 +/- 2.7 years) were recruited in this study. The mean index score was 7.3, and 46% (n = 107) of participants had a high geriatric syndrome burden. The most common geriatric syndrome was incontinence (69%), followed by polypharmacy (60%) and depression (43%). When compared to patients without such a diagnosis, the prevalence of polypharmacy was significantly higher in patients diagnosed with hypertension, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p = 0.02, p = 0.02, p < 0.001, p = 0.008, p = 0.007, respectively). However, no chronic disease was associated with geriatric syndrome burden. Conclusions: We found that the burden of medical conditions in the older population over 90 years of age could influence general health status significantly, with a high prevalence of chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes.