International Journal of Clinical Case Reports, 2025, Vol.15, No.5, 219-227 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/ijccr 224 conclusions being difficult to generize to a broader elderly population. Furthermore, many studies have focused on specific types of elderly people, such as those with dementia or chronic diseases, which also makes the research results difficult to apply to all elderly people (Cagnin et al., 2020). Table 1 Quarantine, health and lifestyle conditions of older persons in Centro American countries during pandemic due to COVID-19 (Adopted from Mendoza-Ruvalcaba et al., 2022) Variable All countries n=712%±n) Mexico n=200%±n) Guatemala n=200%±n) EI Salvador n=149%±n) Honduras n=77%±n) CostaRica n=86%±n) Days in quarantine*** - Mean±SD 142.1±33.7 145.8±34.4 146.5±33.7 120.3±43.1 143.6±60.4 166.3±25.6 Physical health - Number of Diseases, Mean ±SD#*** 1.71±1.44 1.81±1.50 1.59±1.45 1.41±1.16 1.61±1.38 2.38±1.56 Hypertension±yes)b*** 50.0±356) 47.0±94) 39.0±78) 53.0±79) 55.8±43) 72.1±62) Diabetes ±yes)b* 24.2±172) 24.0±48) 23.5±47) 19.5±29) 19.5±15) 38.4±33) Osteoporosis ±yes) 11.8±84) 15±30) 10.5±21) 10.7±16) 7.8±6) 12.8±11) Dyslipidemia ±yes)** 21.2±151) 24.0±48) 23.5±47) 14.1±21) 11.7±9) 30.2±26) Thyroid disease ±yes) 11.1±79) 11.0±22) 9.0±18) 9.4±14) 11.7±9) 18.6±16) Medicaments, Mean ±SDa*** 2.72±2.67 2.79±2.56 2.39±2.19 2.01±1.73 2.09±2.11 5.09±4.10 Polypharmacy±yes)b 29.5±210) 29.0±58) 27.0±54) 18.8±28) 22.1±17) 61.6±53) Have fallen in the last year ±yes) 53.7±382) 53.0±106) 58.5±117) 55.7±83) 37.7±29) 54.7±47) Have suffered a fracture in the last year ±yes) 29.4±209) 24.5±49) 34.0±68) 23.5±35) 28.6±22) 40.7±35) Functionality ADLb*** 42.0±299) 38.5±77) 30.5±61) 40.3±60) 76.6±59) 48.8±42) Mental health MCI current±yes)b*** 19.2±137) 14.5±29) 15.5±31) 16.8±25) 20.8±16) 41.9±36) Previous depression*** 10.1±72) 17.5±35) 7.5±15) 2.7±4) 6.5±5) 15.1±13) Depressive symptomb*** 32.7±233) 38.0±76) 26.0±52) 21.5±32) 45.5±35) 44.2±38) Lifestyle Smoking ±yes)** 8.0±57) 11.0±22) 9.8±18) 2.7±4) 14.3±11) 2.3±2) Drinking alcohol±yes)** 32.9±234) 31.0±62) 41.5±83) 33.6±50) 32.5±25) 16.3±14) Balanced diet ±yes)b*** 65.3±465) 94.0±188) 94.0±188) 33.6±50) 32.5±25) 16.3±14) Cognitively activetyes)b*** 74.7±532) 74.0±148) 81.5±163) 63.8±95) 61.0±47) 91.9±79) Physicll active tyes)** 70.5±502) 67.0±134) 74.0±148) 72.5±108) 55.8±43) 80.2±69) Image caption: ***=p<.000; **=p<.01; *=p<.05; SD=standard deviation; a=anova test; b=chi-square test, ADL=Activities of daily living, MCI = Mild cognitive impairment. The elderly population varies greatly-in terms of culture, economy and health conditions-so the results of a small sample may not reflect the full impact of isolation. The differences in health behaviors and quality of life among different populations may not have been fully studied (Cohen et al., 2020). 6.2 Reliance on self-reported data and potential biases Another limitation of existing research is its excessive reliance on self-reported data, which is usually collected through telephone or online surveys. This type of approach may lead to inaccurate recall, social expectation bias and other errors, especially in cases where patients with cognitive impairment or those requiring caregivers to answer on their behalf (Mendoza-Ruvalcaba et al., 2022). For example, the emotional state of caregivers may affect their evaluation of the behavior and psychological performance of dementia patients (Cohen et al., 2020). Due to the lack of a unified standard assessment method, most interviews are in a narrative form, which to some extent reduces the credibility of the research results and the comparability among different studies. Meanwhile, due to the lack of objective physical indicators or verified scale support, it has become more difficult to accurately determine the actual impact of isolation on the health and life of the elderly (Cagnin et al., 2020).
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