高齢者診療の臨床背景―国立長寿医療センター耳鼻咽喉科外来での統計から―

Abstract

With Japan facing a rapidly aging society and health care for the latter-stage elderly only set up in April 2008, we analyzed the clinical features of elderly otolaryngology outpatients to clarify any differences between early and latter stage elderly. Subjects were 627 men and 702 women divided by age into below middle age (under 41-years-old), middle-aged (41- to 64-years-old), early-stage elderly (65- to 74-years-old), and latter-stage elderly (over 74-years-old). The most common symptom was sore throat in those below middle age, vertigo in those middle-aged on early-stage elderly, and hearing disorder in those latter-stage elderly. Older subjects took more medication, had more health problems, waited longer before going to an outpatient treatment facility, and visited such facilities less voluntarily. Central vertigo increased in the elderly, seen in 26% of the latterstage elderly. Those whose chief symptom involved hearing doubled among the latterstage elderly, 70% of whom had moderate to severe hearing problems. It is therefore imperative to understand the clinical background of elderly patients and to concentrate on learning about and treating vertigo and hearing problems.