Risk Factors and Precipitants of Severe Disability Among Community-Living Older Persons

Key Points Question What are the relative contributions of traditional risk factors and intervening illnesses or injuries (ie, precipitants) associated with severe disability that develops progressively vs catastrophically? Findings In this cohort study of 754 nondisabled community-living persons aged 70 years or older who were followed longitudinally for nearly 19 years, the associations of intervening illnesses or injuries with severe disability were much more pronounced than those of the risk factors, with hazard ratios up to 20-fold greater for progressive disability and 177-fold greater for catastrophic disability. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that to reduce the burden of severe disability, more aggressive efforts will be needed to prevent and manage intervening illnesses or injuries and to facilitate recovery after these debilitating events.