Association between Traditional Chinese Medicine constitution and geriatric functional impairment evaluated by the integrated care for older people approach in the elderly

Summary Background This study aimed to analyze the association between different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutional classifications and functional impairments in elderly individuals evaluated using the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) screening tool to assess six key functional aspects: cognitive function, limited mobility, malnutrition, visual impairment, hearing loss, and depressive symptoms. Methods We enrolled cohort of 392 individuals had an average age of 71.94 ± 5.37 years. Along with the ICOPE tool, the Constitution in Chinese Medicine Questionnaire (Elderly Edition, CCMQ-EE) was used to assess the TCM constitution of older adults with ongoing tracking at long-term care (LTC) stations. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed separately for each aspect of the ICOPE scores and TCM constitution. Findings The most commonly affected constitution among the elderly was Yin deficiency, which is significantly associated with functional impairment in geriatric patients. In the multivariate analysis, it was significantly associated with cognitive decline. Qi deficiency and blood stasis were significantly associated with malnutrition. Yin deficiency, blood stasis, and qi depression were identified as contributors to visual impairment. Yin deficiency and qi-depression were found to be associated with hearing loss. Limited mobility was associated with female , whereas lower cognitive function and hearing loss were associated with male. Interpretation TCM constitutional theory is significantly associated with geriatric functional impairment. Funding National Health Research Institutes, (NHRI-12A1-CG-CO-13-2323-1, NHRI-13A1-CG-CO-13-2325-1), and Chung Gung Medical Research Fund (CMPRG8M1341).