Prurito e impacto en la calidad de vida de los adultos mayores del programa social del IESS. Cuenca 2013.

Abstract

Introduction: Pruritus is a common symptom in elderly (8,8-49,6%), which despite being a protective mechanism, sometimes is very intense and lasting that affects the quality of life of sufferers. Objective: To determine the frequency and characteristics of pruritus in the participants of “Programa Social para adultos mayores del IESS” and its impact in life's quality, in Cuenca, 2013. Material and Methods: It was a descriptive study which included the elderly population enrolled in, "Programa Social del IESS in Cuenca 2013", who agreed to participate by signing the informed consent. For the evaluation, two validated questionnaires were used. One for the characteristics of pruritus and one for quality of life in dermatology: “Dermatology Life Quality Index” (DLQI). The analysis was performed in Microsoft Excel, using: frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. Results: The frequency of pruritus was 26%, more common in women, people from the urban area and between 65-69 years old; 18.67% suffer chronic pruritus; pruritus also was mild (43,59%) and the occurrence was occasional (35,90%) or constant (33,33%) at night. It didn't interfere in the quantity (71,79%) or quality (78,21%) of sleep, nor in daily activities (79,49%), or in interpersonal relationships (82,05%). Finally an average of 10.38 % in overall quality of life impairment was found. Conclusions: A high percentage of elderly from IESS Social Program suffers pruritus, mostly mild and predominantly nocturnal, which does not significantly affect their quality of life.