An adaptation of Charlson comorbidity index predicted subsequent mortality in a health survey.
OBJECTIVE
The Catalan Health Interview Survey Follow-up Study analyzed survival differences according to comorbidity, using an adaptation of the Charlson's index.


METHODS
Vital status was ascertained by record linkage with death certificates 5 years after interview. Three thousand one hundred five men and 3,536 women aged 40-84 years old were included in the analysis. Proportional hazards models with age as time scale were used to calculate relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval adjusted for potential confounders.


RESULTS
The adjusted RR of death in men was 1.02 (0.73-1.41) for a comorbidity index of 1-2; the RR was 1.51 (1-2.30) for an index of 3-4, and 2.64 (1.43-4.89) for an index of >4 composed to an index of 0. In women, for the same comorbidity index categorization, the RR of death were 0.83 (0.55-1.24), 1.71 (1.09-2.72) and 2.65 (1.47-4.77).


CONCLUSIONS
This result confirms the relation between comorbidity and the risk of death based on a comorbidity index that takes into account severity and number of self-declared chronic diseases with mortality.
Rius
Cristina
C
Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron-UAB [corrected] Passeig Vall Hebro, 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Pérez
Gloria
G
Martínez
José Miguel
JM
Bares
Mara
M
Schiaffino
Anna
A
Gispert
Rosa
R
Fernández
Esteve
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000401:mortality*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology