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A BSTRACTS
of less than 1 month and did not undergo nutritional assessment beyond
protein malnutrition. The remaining underwent targeted evaluation
based on symptom constellation. 82.9% were found to have at
least one identified nutritional deficiency. Of those, 38.2% had a single
nutrient deficiency. 23.5% had two, 32.4% had three and 5.9%
had 4 deficiencies.
Conclusions: Micronutrient deficiencies are more prevalent in
the Palliative care population than previously believed. Appropriate
testing allows targeted, evidence based, replacement which should in
turn ameliorate suffering. All too often palliative care is perceived as
an approach that limits curative care focus, but resolution of deficiencies
seems to establish a bridge of trust between the practitioner, the
patient and the family who perceive the health practitioner to be fully
invested in the care of the patient.
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Aging with Disabilities: Comparing symptoms and quality of life
indicators of individuals aging with disabilities to U.S. general
population norms.
D. Amtmann, S. Borson, R. Salem, K. L. Johnson, A. Verrall.
Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Supported By: The contents of this abstract were developed under a
grant from the Department of Education, NIDRR grant number
H133B080024. However, those contents do not necessarily represent
the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume
endorsement by the Federal Government.
Background: Advances in medical care and rehabilitation have
extended the lifespan of people with long-term physical disabilities.
However, quantifying the excess burden of symptoms in persons
aging with disabilities has been hindered by lack of common metrics
across measures and clinical populations. The NIH-funded PROMIS
initiative used modern psychometric methods to develop instruments
that do use a common metric and provide US population
norms for many important domains. The objective of the current
study was to construct profiles of symptoms and QoL indicators in
persons aging with a long-term disability and to compare them to US
population norms.
Methods: PROMIS short forms measuring 7 symptoms or QoL
indicators (fatigue, pain interference with activities, physical and social
function, depression, and sleep and wake disturbance) were completed
by individuals with muscular dystrophy (264), multiple sclerosis
(481), post-polio syndrome (445), and spinal cord injury (323)
(total N=1513) participating in an ongoing longitudinal survey. Individuals
aged 45-94 were included in this analysis. Scores for the overall
sample, by diagnostic group and by age categories, were compared
to the PROMIS US population norms.
Results: Compared to the US general population, individuals
aging with disabilities reported a higher symptom burden and
poorer QoL on 6 of 7 measures (all p