Gynecological aspects as a component of comprehensive geriatric assessment: A study of self-rated symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse among community-dwelling elderly women in Japan

• Published in: Maturitas 2022-03, Vol.157, p.34-39
• Main Authors: Kato, Emiko, Wada, Taizo, Hirosaki, Mayumi, Tatsuno, Mai, Hirayama, Kiichi, Fujisawa, Michiko, Kimura, Yumi, Ishimoto, Yasuko, Nose, Mitsuhiro, Okumiya, Kiyohito, Matsubayashi, Kozo, Sakamoto, Ryota
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Comprehensive geriatric assessment; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Independent Living; Japan; Male-female health-survival paradox; Pelvic Organ Prolapse; Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory-6; Timed Up and Go test
• ISSN: 0378-5122; 1873-4111; 1873-4111
• DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.10.013

•In this study, 18% of community-dwelling elderly Japanese women reported symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse.•Self-reported pelvic organ prolapse was related to higher scores on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and reduced scores for basic activities of daily living.•Sex-specific symptoms were associated with reduced physical function in older women. Despite the reported ‘male-female health-survival paradox’, no components of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) routinely used in the field of geriatrics focus on female-specific symptoms. To investigate the impact of gynecological factors among elderly women, we noted the gynecological history and examined the association between self-rated symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and CGA. This community-based, cross-sectional study in Japan included 164 community-dwelling women aged ≥75 years. The main outcome measures were the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory-6 (POPDI-6), activities of daily living (ADL), and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Self-rated symptoms of POP were assessed using POPDI-6, and the participants were dichotomized into POPDI-6 >0 (symptom group) and POPDI-6 = 0 (no-symptom group). Several components of the CGA were compared between the groups with and without symptoms of POP and the association with POPDI-6 score was analyzed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Compared with the no-symptom group, the symptom group had significantly longer TUG test time (≥13.5 s) (P = 0.024) and difficulty in basic ADL (score