Factors Related to Cognitive Impairment of Elderly Patients in Kyongin District

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: With the rapid increase in elderly population arousing from development of medical technology and in standards of living, mental disorders as well as organic disorders according to aging constitute a serious social problem. This study aimed to find a factor related closely to cognitive impairment by analyzing the risk factors influencing cognitive impairment, which is one of the typical geriatric neuropsychiatric conditions. METHODS: This study was conducted using a questionnaire survey and history taking and physical examination was done in 200 elderly patients over sixty-five, who had visited either of the four universities hospitals in the Kyongin district from July 1997 to June 2002. A variety of factors being widely known to be related to cognitive impairment by was investigated using the existing comprehensive geriatric assessment. By using MMSE-K (Korea version of Mini- Mental State Examination), the relation between cognitive impairment and each variable was analyzed by using chi-square test and logistic regression analysis with SPSS 10.0k/PC statistical program. RESULTS: The number of males and females was 73 (36.5%) and 127 (63.5%), respectively, among the total number of 200 examinees. Males and females having symptoms of cognitive impairment was 25 (34.2%) and 49 (38.6%) among the total number of 74 (37%), respectively. Total mean point of MMSE-K was 24 5.4, 24 5.3 in males and 23.9 5.5 in females. According to the results of multi-variable quantities analysis, it was shown that the cognitive impairment had positive relation to age (P= 0.004), but negative relation to regular exercising (P= 0.016), instrumental activities of daily living (P=0.039) and social support (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The factors having a close relation to cognitive impairment of elderly people were social support, age, regular exercising and instrumental activities of daily living.