Patient-reported geriatric syndromes and their association with quality of life: findings from a cross-sectional study in German older adults

Eur Geriatr Med. 2025 Oct 16. doi: 10.1007/s41999-025-01332-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Many older patients suffer from multimorbidity, rendering disease-specific approaches moot. Instead, overarching geriatric syndromes can be used to describe patients’ experiences above and beyond concrete diagnoses. However, little is known about how patients themselves perceive these geriatric syndromes.

METHODS: We collected self-reported data on N = 511 (83.0 ± 5.96 years, 66% female) geriatric in- and N = 155 outpatients (79.0 ± 6.42 years, 60% female) on the occurrence of nine geriatric syndromes: reduced mobility, falls, problems with cognition, depressiveness, loneliness, pain, incontinence, problems with sleep, and problems with swallowing. We additionally asked about the perceived restriction and expectations regarding improvement of the geriatric syndromes. Using descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and linear regression, we describe how patients perceive and experience geriatric syndromes and their association with mental and physical quality of life (QoL) while controlling for cognition, functional status, and health.

RESULTS: On average, patients report 3.4 (SD = 1.8) of nine different geriatric syndromes, while 47.2% reported ≥ 4. The most frequent geriatric syndromes were mobility problems, falls, and pain; these were also perceived as most restrictive in daily life. A higher number of geriatric syndromes significantly reduces mental and physical QoL, above and beyond physical health. For physical QoL, mobility problems, falls, and pain are most influential, while mental QoL is linked with depressiveness, loneliness, and sleep problems. These associations were even stronger in outpatients than in inpatients.

CONCLUSION: Geriatric syndromes are highly prevalent and lead to reduced mental and physical QoL. As they impact QoL above and beyond physical health and functionality, geriatric syndromes and their association with age-related expectations should be incorporated in clinical care to improve well-being.

PMID:41099789 | DOI:10.1007/s41999-025-01332-7