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Persistent vegetative state and dementia in the elderly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2007

Efraim Jaul  and
Ronit Calderon-Margalit
Efraim Jaul*
Affiliation:
Skilled Geriatric Nursing Department, Herzog Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
Ronit Calderon-Margalit
Affiliation:
Hadassah-Hebrew University Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
*
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.
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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.

Keywords

vegetative stateelderlyterminal dementia
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 19 , Issue 6 , December 2007 , pp. 1064 - 1071
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2007

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