[Hospitalization in the elderly patient: a risk or benefit?]

The aim of this work was to study the impact of hospital admission on functional status of elders. Eighty six patients (63 male) aged 73 +/- 4 years old admitted to the Internal Medicine Service of a public hospital were studied. Functional status was measured on admission, discharge and 15 days after discharge using the Northwestern Functional Status Review Instrument. Fifteen patients died during hospital stay. Functional status improved in patients admitted with disordered consciousness, in those admitted due to neurologic disorders, in those with less than two chronic diseases, in those whose disease cured during hospitalization and those that did not acquire new disease during admission. Prolonged hospitalizations of more than 13 days were associated with functional status worsening. It is concluded that functional status or elders does not always deteriorate during hospital admissions.