Abstract
The purposes of this retrospective study were to document the prevalence of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, and its potential predictive value for Rehabilitation outcomes in post-acute elderly inpatients. The medical records of 304 elderly subjects admitted to our Rehabilitation Institute for any disease following an acute event were examined. High levels of CRP (> 0.5 mg/dl) were present in 100% of the subjects, and the value > 1.5 mg/dl (n = 86) predicted unfavourable outcomes (n = 28; 32.5% of the patients: death or transfer to other institutions). Among the patients with favourable outcomes (discharge home n = 255), 62.7% still exhibited severe disabilities. Pressure ulcers and low functional status also predicted unfavourable outcomes. The study highlights the need for future investigations into the possible reduction of CRP levels, after an intensive nutritional approach and combined physical interventions.
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The author Roberto Aquilani is a scientific consultant at Professional Dietetics (Milano, Italy). The other authors declare no conflict of interest.
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The protocol was approved by the Ethical-Technical Committee of our GRI (Atti/2018/SM/R002/2018 February 23).
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Aquilani, R., Zuccarelli, G.C., Maestri, R. et al. Inflammation, pressure ulcers and poor functional status predict negative rehabilitation outcomes in postacute geriatric patients. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 463–467 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01526-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-020-01526-y