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Quantitative sensory testing in elderly: longitudinal study
Luciana Alvarenga da Silva1, Omar Jaluul2, Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira3
1Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brasil.
Objective:
To evaluate elderly patients in a geriatric service, along with their sensory characteristics and their association with clinical aspects.
Methods:
This was a descriptive longitudinal study. We enrolled 36 healthy participants of both sexes in this study. The following instruments were used and evaluations performed: clinical evaluation, Mini-Mental State Exam, and quantitative sensory testing.
Results:
During the follow-up, there was reduction of mean corpuscular volume at each evaluation (p < 0.001) and significant increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (p < 0.001). There was an increase of the olfactory (p < 0.001), salty (p = 0.024), sour (p = 0.020), bitter (p = 0.001), facial cold (p = 0.019), hand cold (p = 0.004), facial tactile (p < 0.001), hand tactile (p = 0.012) and facial vibration (p = 0.018) thresholds. Previous existing morbidities were associated with sensitivity changes in the individuals in this sample.
Conclusion:
This longitudinal study suggests that the loss of sensitivity with aging may be associated with the presence of morbidities in elders.
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