Long-term survival in the elderly after trauma.
BACKGROUND
In the elderly, trauma has been associated with increased, long-term, all-cause mortality. Functional limitations secondary to injury may be responsible for the reduced survival rate. The objective of this study was to test this hypothesis using data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA).


METHODS
The LSOA is an extension of the 1984 National Health Interview Survey, which focused on 7,527 persons who were 70 years and older in 1984. Using data from the LSOA, a cohort of elderly patients hospitalized for injury in 1985 (N = 102) was identified from Medicare hospital discharge data. An uninjured cohort (N = 408) was also identified using the LSOA and matched by age (within 1 year) and sex. Deaths in both cohorts were identified using the National Death Index. Hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality within 6 years subsequent to injury, adjusted for demographic, health status, and functional characteristics, were calculated.


RESULTS
The injured cohort had a significantly reduced rate of survival compared with the uninjured cohort (HR = 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.2), and this relationship persisted after adjusting for demographic and health characteristics (HR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.0-2.0). After additional adjustment for measures of functional decline, the association diminished (HR = 1.2; 95% CI 0.8-1.7). Functional decline remained a strong, independent factor for the risk of mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Trauma in the elderly has both an acute and long-term influence on mortality; the latter seems to be mediated through a decline in function resulting from the injury. This study suggests that strategies to return the elderly patient to preinjury functional status are of paramount importance. Future research should explore the impact of these interventions on long-term survival.
McGwin
G
G
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294-0009, USA. mcgwin@eyes.uab.edu
Melton
S M
SM
May
A K
AK
Rue
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LW
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000407:Alabama / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology