International Psychogeriatrics
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 19 / Issue 06 / December 2007, pp 1064-1071
- Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2007
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S104161020600473X (About DOI), Published online: 19 January 2007
Research Article
Persistent vegetative state and dementia in the elderly
Efraim Jaula1a2 c1 and Ronit Calderon-Margalita3
a1 Skilled Geriatric Nursing Department, Herzog Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
a2 The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
a3 Hadassah-Hebrew University Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
ABSTRACT
Background: Very few studies have approached the issue of persistent vegetative state (PVS) within the elderly population. This study aims to assess the prevalence, determinants and prognosis of elderly patients with PVS admitted to a long-term geriatric facility.
Methods: We conducted a cohort study in the setting of a Skilled Geriatric Nursing Department. All patients admitted during a 17-month period (N = 88) were included and tested for a diagnosis of PVS according to the Disability Rating Scale (DRS).
Results: A clinical diagnosis of PVS was given to 15% of patients upon admission, whereas the DRS diagnosed 30.5% of patients as having PVS. During the study period, 12 out of 31 patients with PVS died, with a median survival of 127 days (range: 1–517 days).
Conclusion: Our study suggests that PVS is an advanced stage in the natural history of dementia in the elderly. The low proportion of patients with PVS recognized as having this disorder upon admission suggests a low awareness among hospital personnel. Further studies of the prevalence and determinants of PVS in the severely disabled elderly population are warranted.
(Received August 17 2006)
(Online publication September 28 2006)
(Revised November 27 2006)
(Accepted November 30 2006)
(Online publication January 19 2007)
Key words:
Correspondence:
c1 Correspondence should be addressed to: Efraim Jaul, Director, Dept. of Skilled Nursing, Herzog Hospital, PO Box 35300, Jerusalem 91351, Israel. Phone: +972 2 531 6872; Fax: +972 2 654 1410. Email: jaul@zahav.net.il; efjaul@hotmail.com.
