title: Mortality in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the relevance of variables suspected to influence mortality in Alzheimer's disease (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  172 subjects with AD recruited through a family study were followed up for a mean of 4.7 +/- 2.6 years. Their survival was compared with that of matched control subjects using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank statistics. Variables determining mortality were examined with the Cox proportional hazards model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survival in subjects with AD depended on age, the severity of cognitive decline and on the incidence of hospitalisation. Gender, the duration of the illness, the velocity of cognitive decline, the allele E4 of the apolipoprotein E genotype and the presence of other lifetime psychiatric diagnoses did not influence mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mortality in AD depended mainly on the subjects' age and the severity of the disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonsignore
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heun
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis