Morbidity profile of elderly attended/admitted in Jeddah health facilities, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine morbidity profile and predictors of increased number of morbidities among 2264 elderly attended/admitted in Jeddah health facilities. About one-fourth of elderly reported poor self-perceived health, 37.3% were dependent on others in their activities and 32.1% utilized >3 drugs/day. Diminished vision was the commonest complaint while the most prevalent diseases were diabetes mellitus, arthritis and hypertension. The number of morbidities ranged from 1-6 with a mean of 2.11+/-1.16. In multivariate analysis, the predictors of increased morbidities were obesity [OR=1.83; 95% Cl=1.37-2.441, feeling depressed [OR=1.64; 95% Cl=1.26-2.13], advanced age, stop working, and female gender. It is recommended that there is a great need for increasing elderly medical and social care