Is growing old a disease? A study of the attitudes of elderly people to physical symptoms.

In a survey of people living at home, aged 77 years and over, a total of 126 women and 77 men were interviewed concerning their attitudes to their physical symptoms. For each organ system the subjects indicated whether their symptoms were considered to be a normal condition for elderly people or a manifestation of a disease. To a large extent symptoms were accepted as a normal condition, however, a highly significant difference in their attitudes to symptoms stemming from different systems was found (p less than 0.001). Generally, compared with severe symptoms, mild symptoms were accepted more readily as a normal condition in old age. Although most of the elderly people had seen a doctor because of their symptoms, a highly significant difference was found in consultation rates among elderly persons with symptoms from different organ systems (p less than 0.001). The attitudes to symptoms influenced the tendency of the subjects to consult a doctor (p less than 0.05). The need for education of elderly people and health professionals is discussed.