Effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on health and functional capacity in institutionalized older adults.
Bárbara Lima Queiroz, Carlos Queiroz do Nascimento, Thamires Otaviano Marques de Souza and 7 others
PMID 38131441WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults in nursing homes who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were more often classified as dependent six months later, lost more weight, and had higher systolic blood pressure than those who tested negative.
Key findings
01At baseline, 53.3% of older adults who tested positive were classified as dependent versus 57.6% of those who tested negative; at six months, 66.7% of the positive group versus 59.2% of the negative group were classified as dependent.
02Mean weight change was –1.02 kg in the positive group versus –0.38 kg in the negative group, and 16.5% of the positive group versus 2.6% of the negative group had frailty risk associated with unintentional weight loss.
03Mean systolic blood pressure change was 1.33 mmHg in the positive group versus 0.13 mmHg in the negative group, and adjusted analysis associated positive diagnosis with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample of nursing home residents in one city, so the results may not apply to other settings. The final sample was 289 older adults, but the functional and clinical analyses included 281, and the paper reports 8 deaths. Weight and height were estimated from equations rather than measured directly. Two institutions did not continue, so some residents' data were missing. Residents were grouped by test result, not randomly assigned, so other differences between groups could explain the findings.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these changes as proof that SARS-CoV-2 infection alone caused dependence, weight loss, or blood pressure increases. The study observed nursing home residents grouped by test result in a convenience sample, and no treatment was tested.