Systemic Health Characteristics and Self-Reported Xerostomia among Nursing Facility Residents in Iowa-US and Sao Paulo-Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14295/bds.2019.v22i1.1677Abstract
Objective: To describe and compare potential differences in systemic health characteristics and xerostomia among residents in American and Brazilian nursing facilities (NF). Material and Methods: This secondary analysis used data from a study in NF located in Iowa-USA (n=81) and Sao Paulo (SP)-Brazil (n=119). Recorded data included demographics, medications, comorbid conditions, and self-reported xerostomia. Results The Iowa group mean age was 82.1 years (±12.9), 60.5% were females, and 100% were white, whereas the SP group mean age was 76.4 years (±8.7), 47.9% females, most participants identified as either white (42.0%) or as more than one race (45.4%). The median number of comorbid conditions and medications in the Iowa were 9 and 12, respectively, as compared to 2 and 6 in SP. Most common comorbidities in Iowa were hypertension, dementia (including Alzheimer), and depression. In SP, they were hypertension, unspecified diabetes mellitus (including type 2), and Parkinson. Most common prescription medications in Iowa were acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, and magnesium hydroxide, while in SP, they were omeprazole, acetylsalicylic acid, and losartan. Xerostomia was reported by 32.1% (Iowa) and 59.7% (SP) of the participants. There was no association between age and dry mouth sensation in either Iowa (p=0.480) or SP (p=0.130) samples. However, there was an association between total medications and dry mouth sensation in Iowa (p=0.040), but not in SP (p=0.075) Conclusions: Iowans presented with higher numbers of comorbidities and prescription medications, however xerostomia was reported in a greater percentage in SP. Xerostomia was associated to higher number of medications in Iowa, but not in SP.
Keywords
Xerostomia; Aged; frail elderly; Nursing homes.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
COPYRIGHT TRANSFER AND RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
(PDF)
For all articles published in the BDS journal, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open-access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted, provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit. All metadata associated with published articles is released under the Creative Commons CC0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Before the submission, authors must obtain permission to reproduce any published material (figures, schemes, tables, or any extract of a text) that does not fall into the public domain or for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission should be requested by the authors from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher, please refer to the imprint of the individual publications to identify the copyright holder).
The authors hereby attest that the study is original and does not present manipulated data, fraud, or plagiarism. All names listed made a significant scientific contribution to the study, are aware of the presented data, and agree with the final version of the manuscript. They assume complete responsibility for the ethical aspects of the study.
This text must be printed and signed by all authors. The scanned version should be submitted as supplemental file during the submission process.