Triage of frail elderly with reduced exercise tolerance in primary care (TREE). a clustered randomized diagnostic study

Triage of frail elderly with reduced exercise tolerance in primary care (TREE). a clustered randomized diagnostic study

BMC Public Health, May 2012

22640176

Yvonne van Mourik, Karel GM Moons, Loes CM Bertens, Johannes B Reitsma, Arno W Hoes, Frans H Rutten

Exercise reduced tolerance and breathlessness are common in the elderly and can result in substantial loss in functionality and health related quality of life. Heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common underlying causes, but can be difficult to disentangle due to overlap in symptomatology. In addition, other potential causes such as obesity, anaemia, renal dysfunction and thyroid disorders may be involved.We aim to assess whether screening of frail elderly with reduced exercise tolerance leads to high detection rates of HF, COPD, or alternative diagnoses, and whether detection of these diseases would result in changes in patient management and increase in both functionality and quality of life.