An epidemiological study on morbidity pattern and quality of life among geriatric patients attending Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata

Abstract

Background: Geriatrics refers to people aged 60 years and above. In India, the absolute number of elderly people increased from 76 million in 2001 to 100 million in 2011(8.6% of total population) and 138 million in 2021 (10.1% of total population). Common morbid conditions in older age include hypertension, diabetes, hearing loss, cataracts and refractive errors, back and neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, dementia, and complex health states commonly called the “Geriatric Syndromes.” Aims and Objectives: The present study described the morbidity pattern, quality of life and their relationship among geriatric patients attending Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. Materials and Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with a semi-structured data collection form having “OPQOL-Brief questionnaire” among 110 older subjects in a systematic manner who have attended the Geriatric Medicine OPD of Medical College, Kolkata, during the months of March–April, 2021. The data were entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (version 10) and analyzed with the help of SPSS (version 25). Results: About 59.1% of study subjects were male. The most common morbidity was hypertension (47.27%), followed by diabetes mellitus (39.1%), bronchial asthma (27.3%), and heart diseases (19.1%). About 50.9% of the patients (49.23% of male and 53.33% of female) had a good quality of life. Conclusion: This study showed that these patients’ quality of life had significant relationship with their socioeconomic status and number of comorbidities present. It was advisable to adopt policies for affordable solutions for diagnosis and management of geriatric comorbidities overall.