The Impact Of Pain And Other Symptoms On Physical Functi

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Older persons with disabilities typically live with one or more chronic conditions. In addition to chronic pathology that can be debilitating over time, the daily symptom experience can create an enduring burden in chronically ill persons. The convergence of symptoms such as pain and weakness, with pre-existing impairments such as reduced endurance or muscle strength, can result in disability in the performance of daily activities. However, little research has examined the effects of symptoms on daily functioning and other health outcomes in older persons. The goal of the research is to investigate the impact of pain and other symptoms of chronic diseases on the daily lives of older disabled women using data from the Women's Health and Aging Study, a prospective cohort study of the causes and course of disability in older women. Specific questions to be addressed in this research include: (1) What do older women report as the major symptoms contributing to their disability? (2) How does disability attribution related to symptoms vary with level of difficulty and domains of disability? (3) What factors mediate the relationship between symptom reporting and disability? (4) What prevalent chronic diseases are associated with symptoms reported as the main cause of disability? (5) Does musculoskeletal pain increase the risk for falls and other health outcomes? (6) Does use of analgesic medications reduce the likelihood of poor outcomes in older women who have chronic musculoskeletal pain?