Mortality in elderly men and women in a Swedish municipality.
OBJECTIVE
to analyse the relationship between age, self-rated global health, morbidity, mobility, life satisfaction, marital status, social network and 6-year mortality in elderly men and women living at home.


METHODS
the study area was a municipality in mid-eastern Sweden with a population of about 21,000. Data from interviews with non-institutionalized people aged 75 years and older in 1986 (n = 421) were linked to an individual-based research registry of prescription drug purchases. The elderly subjects were followed for 6 years. Information on mortality was obtained from the national cause of death register. A combined measure of morbidity captured both self-reported symptoms/diseases and prescription drugs.


RESULTS
mortality was higher in men than women (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis. Among elderly men, morbidity-related factors-self-rated global health, heart problems and diabetes mellitus, for example--were the most important predictors of mortality. Among women, the predictors were spread over more domains (morbidity, mobility, social network).
Gustafsson
T M
TM
Pharmaceutical Services Research and Centre for Primary Care Research, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.
Isacson
D G
DG
Thorslund
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002423:Cause of Death; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D009026:Mortality; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology