Prevalence of chest pain in older patients in Trinidad and influencing factors

Abstract

A study aimed to identify the prevalence of chest pain in older patients attending the Emergency Department(ED) of Area Hospital Point Fortin in Trinidad and its associated influencing factors. This study was a retrospective cross-sectional study. ED cards of patients 65 years and older who attended the ED of Area Hospital Point Fortin, Trinidad during 12 randomly selected one-week periods for each month between October 2011 and September 2012 were identified and studied. Information from the ED cards were filled out on questionnaires, and the data collated was analyzed. Three hundred and twenty-three patient ED cards were used and analyzed for the study. Patient ages ranged from 65 to 101 years. The mean age was 78.4 +/- 7.97 years. The age adjusted prevalence of chest pain in this older population (n=323) presenting to the emergency department was 7.9% in age group 65 -74 years, 6.2% in the age group 85- 94 years and 6.1% in the age group over 84 years. The overall prevalence of chest pain was 7.1%. Diabetes (p=0.008, OR 4) and Ischemic Heart Disease (p=0.001, OR 5.52) were both significant predictors for chest pain in the elderly while hypertension (p=0.18), age (p=0.82) and gender (p=0.08) were not. The overall prevalence of chest pain in patients 65 years and older was 7.1%, which was lower than other studies. Diabetes and Ischemic Heart Disease were both significant predictors for chest pain in older people while hypertension, age and gender were not. Further studies should be done to confirm the prevalence in this specific population and investigate the etiologies and risk factors of chest pain.