Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. This article is made available via the PMC Open Access Subset for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. To determine the main symptoms leading to referral of geriatric patients from primary care to otorhinolaryngology.
Retrospective, observational study performed on patients aged 65 and older, referred from Primary Care to the Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery department of a tertiary centre during and Data regarding age, gender and whether patients maintain follow-up or have been discharged was also collected.
The study population included a total of patients female; male. No statistically significant associations were found among the pharyngolaryngeal group. This retrospective observational study allowed for a better understanding of the type of otorhinolaryngological symptoms affecting elderly patients and driving otorhinolaryngology evaluation, cementing hearing loss as one of the major complaints among older adults and allowing for a better preparation by otorhinolaryngologists for the changing needs of this subset of the population.
Aging is a natural and complex process that affects a wide number of organic systems, including the ear, nose and throat, and their respective functions [ 1 , 2 ]. This same trend can be observed in Portugal. This changing demographic landscape will inevitably reflect itself in an increasing number of elderly patients seeking medical and surgical services [ 3 ], creating new and unique challenges to practicing physicians [ 2 ].
Older adults are not only physiologically different from their younger counterparts, but their treatment goals also vary, with preservation of functional abilities, autonomy and high quality of life as top priorities [ 5 ]. Otorhinolaryngology specialists are no exception to the rapid increase of elderly patients seeking their care [ 6 ].
