Cognitive decline in elderly medical and surgical inpatients

BACKGROUND: Impairment in cognitive function increases with age. AIM: To study the prevalence of cognitive decline in inpatients ≥60 years of age. METHODS: One hundred and thirty patients (85 men and 45 women), admitted to a community general hospital for medical or surgical treatment, were selected. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to identify subjects with cognitive dysfunction. Patients were categorized as having cognitive decline or normal cognition. The Global Rating of Memory Decline (GRMD) and Global Rating of Intellectual Decline (GRID) scales were used to assess the decline in memory, thinking and reasoning ability. RESULTS: Cognitive decline was diagnosed in 54 subjects (41.5%). Significantly more patients ≥70 years of age had cognitive decline compared to patients ≤70 years of age. On the GRMD, 71 patients had subjective decline in memory, 62 of them reported that the decline interfered with their daily life. On GRID, subjective decline in intellectual function was found in 91 patients, with 55 reporting that the decline interfered with their daily lives. CONCLUSION: Patients ≥70 years of age with an acute medical problem are the most likely to have cognitive problems.