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Survival in a Residential Home: An Eleven‐Year Longitudinal Study
Author(s) -
Dontas Anastasius S.,
Tzonou Anastasia,
KasvikiCharvati Popi,
Georgiades George L.,
Christakis George,
Trichopoulos Dimitrios
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb03616.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hematocrit , hazard ratio , blood pressure , multivariate analysis , demography , socioeconomic status , relative risk , body mass index , proportional hazards model , risk factor , confidence interval , population , environmental health , sociology
The length of survival and various risk factors were studied utilizing 408 residents (141 men, 267 women) of a large residential home. The subjects, aged 68 years or more at entry, admitted between 1978 and 1983, were physically independent, continent, and non‐diabetic. They were followed until December 31, 1988, by which time 78% had died. The multivariate proportional hazard analysis showed the following entry variables to have the indicated effects on relative mortality rate ratios: 5‐years' higher age (+10%, NS), persistent bacteriuria (+13%, NS), abnormal ECG (+26%, NS), current smoking (+63%, P < 0.01), mildly impaired mobility (+96%, P < 0.001), higher levels of in‐study systolic pressure in 10‐mm Hg steps (‐4%, NS), higher entry serum cholesterol in 1‐mmol/L steps (‐7%, NS), and higher hematocrit in 5% steps (‐14%, P < 0.02). Female sex was associated with a +25% (NS) rate ratio; socioeconomic status and body weight were without effect. These data highlight the relative importance of specific factors associated with survival of persons within retirement homes and indicate that: (1) the presence of mild impairment of mobility at entry is by far the strongest predictor of early death; (2) smoking and lower hematocrit also exert important adverse effects; and (3) certain “risk factors”, ie elevated systolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol, have a minimal protective effect, if any, in this age group.