Unexpected out-of-hospital deaths in persons aged 85 years or older: an autopsy study of 1886 patients.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the causes of death in the very elderly.


METHODS
We reviewed 24,081 consecutive autopsies performed over 10 years (1989 to 1998) at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Vienna, Austria. We focused on autopsies of people aged 85 years or older who died unexpectedly out of hospital.


RESULTS
The mean age of the 1886 patients (561 men and 1325 women) at the time of death was 88 +/- 3 years (range, 85 to 108 years). Thirty-one percent (n = 588) of those who died were described as having been previously healthy. Cardiovascular disease was the most common cause of death (n = 1465 [77%]). Thirteen percent (n = 246) died of respiratory illness, 5% (n = 94) of gastrointestinal disorders, and 3% (n = 53) of diseases of the central nervous system. Genitourinary and metabolic diseases were uncommon.


CONCLUSIONS
Although this out-of-hospital sample is not representative of the entire elderly population, postmortem examinations emphasize the importance of cardiovascular diseases in causing unexpected deaths in older persons.
Berzlanovich
Andrea M
AM
Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Vienna, Sensengasse, Vienna, Austria. Andrea.Berzlanovich@univie.ac.at
Missliwetz
Johann
J
Sim
Ernst
E
Fazeny-Dörner
Barbara
B
Fasching
Peter
P
Marosi
Christine
C
Waldhoer
Thomas
T
Muhm
Manfred
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D001344:Autopsy; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000401:mortality