A study of the morbidity profile of geriatric patients in rural areas of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Considering the increase in the population of elderly persons as a result of increase in the life expectancy owing to the advancements in the field of medical science, there is a need to provide better health-care facilities to the geriatric population. Objective: To analyze the morbidity profile of senior citizens reporting to the outreach clinics in the Rural Outreach Program of Santosh Hospital in nine villages in the outskirts of Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: Each geriatric patient reporting to the outreach clinic, after having been seen by the concerned resident doctor, was subjected to a thorough screening to detect any other age-related problem affecting the person. The data were compiled and analyzed to study the morbidity profile of the geriatric population. Result: The maximum cases were of eye diseases, which included presbyopia (36.10%) and cataract (22.48%) cases mainly. This was followed by musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal tract diseases, and hypertension cases in that order. A lot of cases of hypertension, cataract, loss of hearing, and certain other diseases were detected for the first time during the screening in the outreach clinic. Conclusion: In order to improve the health of the elderly population, it is important to carry out more such studies and screening programs to identify the problems, as this can help the public health planners in planning health services and developing effective programs in disease prevention.