ArticleBMC geriatrics2015
Symptom burden in community-dwelling older people with multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
70 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions to Support Family Caregivers in Pain Management: A Systematic Review.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2020Pooled it
- Does Deprescribing Improve Quality of Life? A Systematic Review of the Literature.Drugs & aging · 2019Pooled it
- Using Smart Displays to Implement an eHealth System for Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR aging · 2025Trial
- The challenge of recruiting multimorbid older patients identified in a hospital database to a randomised controlled trial.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2022Trial
- Palliative care symptoms, concerns and well-being of older people with frailty and complex care needs upon hospital discharge: a cross-sectional study.BMC palliative care · 2022Trial
- Factors related to health-related quality of life in older people with multimorbidity and high health care consumption over a two-year period.BMC geriatrics · 2019Trial
- Differential effects of dietary fibres on colonic barrier function in elderly individuals with gastrointestinal symptoms.Scientific reports · 2018Trial
- High Symptom Burden and Low Functional Status in the Setting of Multimorbidity.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2017 · on this mapTrial
- Probiotic administration among free-living older adults: a double blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Nutrition journal · 2016Trial
- Associations Between Religiosity, Symptoms, and the Quality of End of Life for Cardiovascular Disease Patients.Circulation reports · 2026Article
- Could the Geriatric Mobile Team trial (GerMoT) inclusion criteria be a pragmatic approach to identifying older adults who may be a relevant target group for integrated care interventions?European geriatric medicine · 2026Article
- Post-COVID-19 Condition Diagnosis among Older People: Findings from Swedish National Register Data.Gerontology · 2026Article
- Comorbidity Burden, Polypharmacy and Xerostomia Severity in Institutionalized Older Adults.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Symptom burden in multiple long-term conditions: An AI-supported, mixed-methods concept elicitation study.JRSM open · 2026Article
- Psychosocial determinants of sexual satisfaction in older adults with multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- The value of advanced practice nursing in Danish primary care: a case study of communicative and integrative mechanisms in community-based care.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Article
- Potentially Inappropriate Medication in Homebound Older Adults Receiving Home Medical Care.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2025Article
- Article
- Associations of Pain Characteristics With Physical Capacity Trajectories Among Older Adults in the United States.The Clinical journal of pain · 2025Article
10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGlobally, the population is ageing and lives with several chronic diseases for decades. A high symptom burden is associated with a high use of healthcare, admissions to nursing homes, and reduced quality of life. The aims of this study were to describe the multidimensional symptom profile and symptom burden in community-dwelling older people with multimorbidity, and to describe factors related to symptom burden.
methodsA cross-sectional study including 378 community-dwelling people ≥ 75 years, who had been hospitalized ≥ 3 times during the previous year, had ≥ 3 diagnoses in their medical records. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale was used to assess the prevalence, frequency, severity, distress and symptom burden of 31 symptoms. A multiple linear regression was performed to identify factors related to total symptom burden.
resultsThe mean number of symptoms per participant was 8.5 (4.6), and the mean total symptom burden score was 0.62 (0.41). Pain was the symptom with the highest prevalence, frequency, severity and distress. Half of the study group reported the prevalence of lack of energy and a dry mouth. Poor vision, likelihood of depression, and diagnoses of the digestive system were independently related to the total symptom burden score.
conclusionThe older community-dwelling people with multimorbidity in this study suffered from a high symptom burden with a high prevalence of pain. Persons with poor vision, likelihood of depression, and diseases of the digestive system are at risk of a higher total symptom burden and might need age-specific standardized guidelines for appropriate management.
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