title: Effects of anorexia on mortality among older adults receiving home care: an observation study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We describe the prevalence of secondary anorexia in a population of older people living in community and receiving home care. In addition, we examined the relationship between secondary anorexia and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from a large collaborative observational study group, the Italian Silver Network Home Care project, that collected data on patients admitted to home care programs. A total of twelve Home Health Agencies participated in such project evaluating the implementation of the Minimum Data Set for Home Care (MDS-HC) instrument. A total of 2757 patients were enrolled in the present study. The main outcome measures were the prevalence of anorexia, weight loss and survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 25% (744 subjects) of the study sample suffered from anorexia. During a mean follow-up of 10 months from initial MDS-HC assessment, 468 patients (17%) died. There was uneven distribution of the risk. After adjusting for age, gender and for all other possible risk factors for death (living alone, physical and cognitive disability, behavior problems, urinary incontinence, pressure ulcer, hearing impairment, congestive heart failure, hypertension, depression, diabetes, renal failure, cancer), subjects with anorexia were more likely to die relative to patients without anorexia (RR, 1.83; 95% CI 1.45-2.31). Even though the risk of mortality was higher among subjects suffering from anorexia and weight loss, the anorexia per se was associated with higher risk compared with subjects without anorexia (RR, 1.45; 95% CI 1.01-2.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anorexia is associated with a significant higher risk of all-cause mortality. The present findings support the possibility that anorexia has an independent effect on survival even among old people receiving home care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology-Geriatric and Medicine Rehabilitative, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. francesco_landi@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liperoti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lattanzio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tosato
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barillaro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernabei
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Onder
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000855:Anorexia / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D015431:Weight Loss