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Geriatric conditions, rather than multimorbidity, as predictors of disability and mortality among octogenarians: A population‐based cohort study
Author(s) -
Lu FengPing,
Chang WenChiung,
Wu ShwuChong
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.12480
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , confidence interval , logistic regression , cohort , proportional hazards model , cohort study , geriatrics , gerontology , multimorbidity , population , demography , comorbidity , environmental health , psychiatry , sociology
Aim To examine the impact of geriatric conditions and multimorbidity on the risk of incident disability and mortality among young‐old and old‐old adults. Methods The present study used nationally‐representative data from the “ S urvey of H ealth and L iving S tatus of the E lderly in T aiwan” for the years 2003 and 2007. Non‐disabled older adults were divided into two age groups (65–79 years and ≥80 years). Chronic morbidities and geriatric conditions were assessed in 2003. Incident disability was defined as dependency in one or more activities of daily living in 2007. Vital statistics of the participants was linked to death registration data through 31 D ecember 2007. Multivariable logistic regression and C ox regression were used to determine the effect of multimorbidity and geriatric conditions on health outcomes. Results Among those aged 65–79 years ( n = 1874), the presentation of multimorbidity or two or more geriatric conditions was related to incident disability. Among octogenarians, the presentation of one or more geriatric conditions, but not multimorbidity, was shown to be independently associated with the risk of disability. Multimorbidity was related to a higher adjusted risk of mortality in the young‐old group (hazard ratio 1.54; 95% confidence interval 1.1–2.2) but not in the old‐old group. Among octogenarians, those with two or more geriatric conditions had a higher adjusted risk of mortality (hazard ratio 1.7; 95% confidence interval 1.2–2.5), compared with those with 0–1 geriatric conditions. Conclusions The risk of incident disability and mortality increased in octogenarians with geriatric conditions, but not in cases with multimorbidity. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 16: 345–351.