Future of the Elderly Person Hospitalized in the Medicine Department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital in Lomé

Abstract

Introduction: To describe the evolving characteristics of the pathology of elderly patients hospitalized in internal medicine. Methodology: This was a retrospective study conducted in the internal medicine department of the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital Center in Lomé, involving patients aged 65 years or older who were hospitalized between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2020. Results: Four hundred and thirty-three patients aged 65 years or older were hospitalized out of a total of 3026 patients, representing a frequency of 14.31%. The mean age was 74.42 years (range 65 - 115 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.03. Comorbidities were found in 81.52% of patients. The outcome was marked by death in 32.79% of cases and loss of autonomy in 47.71% of patients declared recovered. The main causes of death were neurological, urinary, digestive, infectious, and cardiovascular. Conclusion: Hospitalization of elderly people is associated with high mortality and significant functional loss.