All-cause Mortality In Older Men Research Articles

Association of Testosterone and Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality in Older Chinese Men.

The associations of high and low testosterone with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk in men are conflicting. Our objective was to examine associations of total testosterone, free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) with all-cause and CVD mortality in older Chinese men. Total testosterone and SHBG were assayed, and free testosterone and bioavailable testosterone were calculated using Vermeulen formula. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the associations with risks of all-cause and CVD mortality, giving hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Of 3948 men aged 50+ years, 949 deaths (312 CVD) occurred during an average 10.5-year follow-up. After multivariable adjustments, the highest, versus the third, quartile of total testosterone and free testosterone were associated with higher all-cause mortality risk (1.17 [0.97-1.41] and 1.45 [1.20-1.74], respectively), whereas free testosterone was associated with higher CVD mortality risk (1.88 [1.33-2.66]). Similar positive associations were found for bioavailable testosterone and all-cause mortality risk (1.27 [1.05-1.54]). Lower SHBG (quartile 1 vs quartile 3) was associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality risk (1.25 [1.04-1.52] and 1.28 [1.08-1.52], respectively). Consistent associations were observed in relatively healthy men and men excluded death during the first year. Higher total testosterone, free testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone were associated with higher all-cause mortality in older men, higher free testosterone was associated with higher CVD mortality whilst lower SHBG was associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality. Clarification and confirmation of causality require further mechanistic studies.

Six-year mortality associated with living alone and loneliness in Swedish men and women born in 1930

BackgroundThis study examined how living alone and loneliness associate with all-cause mortality in older men and women.MethodsBaseline data from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies, including 70-year-olds interviewed in 2000 and 75-year-olds (new recruits) interviewed in 2005 were used for analyses (N = 778, 353 men, 425 women). Six-year mortality was based on national register data.ResultsAt baseline, 36.6% lived alone and 31.9% reported feelings of loneliness. A total of 72 (9.3%) participants died during the 6-year follow-up period. Cumulative mortality rates per 1000 person-years were 23.9 for men and 9.6 for women. Mortality was increased more than twofold among men who lived alone compared to men living with someone (HR 2.40, 95% CI 1.34–4.30). Elevated risk remained after multivariable adjustment including loneliness and depression (HR 2.56, 95% CI 1.27–5.16). Stratification revealed that mortality risk in the group of men who lived alone and felt lonely was twice that of their peers who lived with someone and did not experience loneliness (HR 2.52, 95% CI 1.26–5.05). In women, a more than fourfold increased risk of mortality was observed in those who experienced loneliness despite living with others (HR 4.52, 95% CI 1.43–14.23).ConclusionsLiving alone was an independent risk factor for death in men but not in women. Mortality was doubled in men who lived alone and felt lonely. In contrast, mortality was particularly elevated in women who felt lonely despite living with others. In the multivariable adjusted models these associations were attenuated and were no longer significant after adjusting for mainly depression in men and physical inactivity in women. Gender needs to be taken into account when considering the health consequences of living situation and loneliness.

0719 Association of subjective-objective discrepancy in sleep duration with all-cause mortality in community-dwelling older men

Abstract Introduction There is evidence for a mismatch between subjective and objective sleep durations not only in individuals with insomnia but also in healthy individuals . However, it is unclear how such discrepancy impacts long-term health outcomes. This study investigated whether and how the discrepancy between subjective and objective sleep duration affected all-cause mortality in a sample of community-dwelling older adult men, aged ≥ 65 years. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data obtained via the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sleep Study, a community-based, longitudinal, observational, and multicenter study. We included data from 2,674 individuals who underwent an in-home polysomnography, completed morning surveys to assess subjective sleep duration during the polysomnography, and for whom survival or death data were available. We assessed the longitudinal association between misperception index (MI), calculated as MI = (objective sleep duration – subjective sleep duration) / objective sleep duration, and all-cause mortality. MI was treated as both a continuous and categorical predictor: the lowest (≤ -0.19; the overestimation of sleep duration) and highest MI quartiles (> 0.08; the underestimation of sleep duration) were compared to the interquartile range of MI (-0.19 <, ≤ 0.08 ). Results During the follow-up with a mean (standard deviation) of 10.8 (4.2) years, 1,596 deaths (59.7%) were observed. As a continuous variable, MI showed a negative association with all-cause mortality after adjusting for multiple covariates, including polysomnography-measured objective sleep duration (fully adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56–0.84). As a categorical variable, the lowest MI quartile (vs. the interquartile MI range) was associated with increased mortality (fully adjusted HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.12–1.46), whereas the highest MI quartile was not associated with mortality (fully adjusted HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85–1.11). Conclusion The subjective overestimation (“reverse” misperception) of sleep duration, may be a risk factor for all-cause mortality in older men. Further investigations are needed to examine physiological mechanisms through which subjective overestimation of sleep duration leads to negative long-term health outcomes. Support (if any) This work was supported by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Government of Japan (Grant numbers #19FA1009 and #21FA1002).

The association between subjective–objective discrepancies in sleep duration and mortality in older men

A discrepancy in subjective and objective estimations of sleep duration, which often diverge, could have long-term adverse effects on health outcomes in older adults. Using data from 2674 older adult men (≥ 65 years of age) of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sleep Study, we assessed the longitudinal association between misperception index (MI), calculated as MI = (objective sleep duration – subjective sleep duration)/objective sleep duration, and all-cause mortality. During the follow-up with a mean (standard deviation) of 10.8 (4.2) years, 1596 deaths were observed. As a continuous variable, MI showed a linear relationship with all-cause mortality after adjusting for multiple covariates, including polysomnography-measured objective sleep duration [fully adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56–0.84]. As a categorical variable, the lowest MI quartile (vs. the interquartile MI range) was associated with increased mortality (fully adjusted HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.12–1.46), whereas the highest MI quartile was not associated with mortality (fully adjusted HR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85–1.11). The subjective overestimation of sleep duration may be a risk factor for all-cause mortality in older men. Future studies should examine why subjective overestimation of sleep duration is associated with all-cause mortality from a physiological perspective.

Vitamin D deficiency, impaired lung function and total and respiratory mortality in a cohort of older men: cross-sectional and prospective findings from The British Regional Heart Study

ObjectivesVitamin D deficiency is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We examined the cross-sectional association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and lung function impairment and assessed whether vitamin D deficiency...

Cut-off values for anthropometric indices in predicting morbidity and mortality in Turkey: a cohort

Abstract Background Anthropometric measurements are associated with cardiovascular outcomes and mortality and the association varies by community. This study aims to estimate the incidence of cardiovascular outcomes and all cause mortality and determines their association with the anthropometric measurements. Methods The data from Turkey Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Survey were used for the cohort which recruited two 15 years and older adults from each family physicians' list in 2011 in Turkey using simple random sampling (n = 18,477). Family physicians collected the medical history and performed anthropometric measurements. Initially healthy participants for cardiovascular morbidity (coronary heart disease (ICD-10 codes I20.0-I25.0) and stroke (ICD-10 codes I60.0-I69.0) and all participants for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were followed-up through electronic health records by 2017. Area under the curves (AUCs) were estimated and the adiposity risk was defined as cut-off points determined using Youden Index. The sample was stratified by age-groups (<65, ≥65). Poisson and Cox models were fitted for morbidity and mortality outcomes, respectively. Results Over six years of follow-up, 5.7% of 15,877 and 1.3% of 16,062 participants developed CHD and stroke respectively. In total, 664 all-cause deaths (4.0%) were observed with 155 caused by CVDs (0.9%). A body shape index (i.e. 0.658 for all-cause mortality among younger men), waist-to-height ratio (i.e. 0.743 for CHD incidence among younger women), and BMI had higher AUCs for the outcomes. Higher anthropometric measurement groups had almost always higher CHD incidence risk in all groups but lower all-cause mortality in older men. Higher body-mass index was associated with lower mortality in younger men. Conclusions This cohort study in Turkey showed that having higher anthropometric measurements is mostly associated with higher CHD incidence and mostly lower mortality among older men. This association deserves further studies. Key messages In Turkey, higher anthropometric measurements are associated with higher coronary heart disease incidence in among participants. In Turkey, higher anthropometric measurements are mostly associated with lower all-cause mortality in older age-groups.

Prolonged Circulation Time Is Associated With Mortality Among Older Men With Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Conventional metrics to evaluate sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) have many limitations, including their inability to identify subclinical markers of cardiovascular (CV) dysfunction. Does sleep study-derived circulation time (Ct) predict mortality, independent of CV risks and SDB severity? We derived average lung to finger Ct (LFCt) from sleep studies in older men enrolled in the multicenter Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Sleep study. LFCt was defined as the average time between end of scored respiratory events and nadir oxygen desaturations associated with those events. We calculated the hazard ratio (HRs) for the CV and all-cause mortality by LFCt quartiles, adjusting for the demographic characteristics, body habitus, baseline CV risk, and CV disease (CVD). Additional models included apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), time with oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry (SpO2)< 90% (T90), and hypoxic burden. We also repeated analyses after excluding those with CVD at baseline. A total of 2,631 men (mean ± SD age, 76.4 ± 5.5 years) were included in this study. LFCt median (interquartile range) was 18 (15-22) s. During an average ± SD follow-up of 9.9 ± 3.5 years, 427 men (16%) and 1,205 men (46%) experienced CV death and all-cause death, respectively. In multivariate analysis, men in the fourth quartile of LFCt (22-52 s) had an HR of 1.36 (95%CI, 1.02-1.81) and 1.35 (95%CI, 1.14-1.60) for CV and all-cause mortality, respectively, when compared with men in the first quartile (4-15 s). The results were similar when additionally adjusting for AHI, T90, or hypoxic burden. Results were stronger among men with no history of CVD at baseline. LFCt is associated with both CV and all-cause mortality in older men, independent of baseline CV burden and SDB metrics. LFCt may be a novel physiologic marker for subclinical CVD and adverse outcomes in patients with SDB.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent social isolation on the general population of Karnataka, India

The psychological impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent social isolation on the general population of Karnataka, India

Cardiovascular and all-cause mortality attributable to loneliness in older Swedish men and women

BackgroundThis study examined whether loneliness predicts cardiovascular- and all-cause mortality in older men and women.MethodsBaseline data from the Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies, collected during 2000 on 70-year-olds born 1930 and living in Gothenburg were used for analysis (n = 524). Mortality data were analyzed until 2012 through Swedish national registers.ResultsPerceived loneliness was reported by 17.1% of the men and 30.9% of the women in a face-to-face interview with mental health professional. A total of 142 participants died during the 12-year follow-up period, with 5334 person-years at risk, corresponding to 26.6 deaths/1000 person-years. Cardiovascular disease accounted for 59.2% of all deaths. The cumulative rates/1000 person-years for cardiovascular mortality were 20.8 (men) and 11.5 (women), and for all-cause mortality 33.8 (men) and 20.5 (women), respectively. In Cox regression models, no significant increased risk of mortality was seen for men with loneliness compared to men without loneliness (cardiovascular mortality HR 1.52, 95% CI 0.78–2.96; all-cause HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.77–2.28). Increased risk of cardiovascular mortality was observed in women with loneliness compared to those without (HR 2.25 95% CI 1.14–4.45), and the risk remained significant in a multivariable-adjusted model (HR 2.42 95% CI 1.04–5.65).ConclusionsLoneliness was shown to be an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in women. We found no evidence to indicate that loneliness was associated with an increased risk of either cardiovascular- or all-cause mortality in men.

Predictive Effect of Malnutrition on Long-Term Clinical Outcomes among Older Men: A Prospectively Observational Cohort Study.

To determine whether nutritional status can predict 3-year cognitive and functional decline, as well as 4-year all-cause mortality in older adults. Prospectively longitudinal cohort study. The study recruited 354 men aged 65 years and older in the veteran's retirement community. Baseline nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF). Cognitive function and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) function were determined by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Barthel Index, respectively. Three-year cognitive and functional decline were respectively defined as a >3 point decrease in the MMSE scores and lower ADL scores than at baseline. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify nutritional status as a risk factor in poor outcome. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional regression models were used to estimate the effect of malnutrition risk on the mortality. According to MNS-SF, the prevalence of risk of malnutrition was 53.1% (188/354). Multivariate logistic regression found risk of malnutrition significantly associated with 3-year cognitive decline (Adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.07, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.05-4.08, P =0.036) and functional decline (Adjusted OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.01-3.34, P =0.047) compared with normal nutritional status. The hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 1.8 times higher in residents at risk of malnutrition (Adjusted HR 1.82, 95% CI 1.19-2.79, P =0.006). Our results provide strong evidence that risk of malnutrition can predict not only cognitive and functional decline but also risk of all-cause mortality in older men living in a veteran retirement's community. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore the causal relationship among nutrition, clinical outcomes, and the effect of an intervention for malnutrition.

Caregiving and all-cause mortality in older men 2005-15: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

while both negative and positive impacts of caregiving on health have been reported, findings regarding caregiver's mortality may be biased by the lack of consideration of changes in their health and caregiving status during follow-up. This study examines the impact of caregiving on the risk of death in older men, allowing for caregiving-transition by individuals and adjusting for changes over time in their health status. data from 1639 men age ≥70 years old from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP) were collected between baseline (2005-07), 2-year and 5-year follow-up and linked to death records up to 30 September 2015. A time-varying Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the risk of death from caregiving between 2005 and 2015, adjusting for baseline education, history of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and risk factors which may change over time (age, income, self-rated overall health, number of morbidities, physical disability, depression and anxiety). the average follow-up was 7.39 years (SD = 2.95) with 495 deaths observed. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality between caregivers and non-caregivers in the multivariable model (HR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.67-1.32, P = 0.73). this study addressed the dynamic caregiving role and covariates which has been rarely considered in the literature. While there is concern that when older people take on a caring role their health suffers, we found no difference in mortality between older male caregivers and non-caregivers when we accounted for transitions in their caregiving status.

Testosterone and All-Cause Mortality in Older Men: The Role of Metabolic Syndrome.

Previous studies have shown controversial results about the role of testosterone in all-cause mortality in elderly men. We hypothesized that metabolic syndrome (MetS) could partly explain this discrepancy. We therefore examined the association of all-cause mortality with total and bioavailable testosterone, taking into account the MetS. We used data from the Three-City Cohort (3C) study with 12-year follow-up. The 3C study included 3650 men aged >65 years in three French cities. Hormone was measured in a random subsample of 444 men, and MetS was determined as stated by the International Diabetes Federation criteria. We used inverse-probability–weighted Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Of 444 men included in the analysis, 106 (23.9%) had MetS at baseline, and 166 died over the follow-up. There was a significant interaction between testosterone level and MetS for all-cause mortality (P = 0.002 and P = 0.008 for total and bioavailable testosterone, respectively). Among men with MetS, a decrease in one standard deviation of testosterone was associated with higher mortality risk [HR 1.78 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.78) and HR 1.83 (95% CI 1.17 to 2.86) for total and bioavailable testosterone, respectively]. By contrast, there was no association of testosterone with mortality risk among men without MetS. Our results suggest that MetS modifies the association between testosterone and mortality in older men. If confirmed, these findings could contribute to improve risk stratification and better manage the health of older men.

Objectively measured physical activity, sedentary behaviour and all-cause mortality in older men: does volume of activity matter more than pattern of accumulation?

ObjectivesTo understand how device-measured sedentary behaviour and physical activity are related to all-cause mortality in older men, an age group with high levels of inactivity and sedentary behaviour.MethodsProspective population-based cohort...

Which Sleep Health Characteristics Predict All-Cause Mortality in Older Men? An Application of Flexible Multivariable Approaches.

Sleep is multidimensional, with domains including duration, timing, continuity, regularity, rhythmicity, quality, and sleepiness/alertness. Individual sleep characteristics representing these domains are known to predict health outcomes. However, most studies consider sleep characteristics in isolation, resulting in an incomplete understanding of which sleep characteristics are the strongest predictors of health outcomes. We applied three multivariable approaches to robustly determine which sleep characteristics increase mortality risk in the osteoporotic fractures in men sleep study. In total, 2,887 men (mean 76.3 years) completed relevant assessments and were followed for up to 11 years. One actigraphy or self-reported sleep characteristic was selected to represent each of seven sleep domains. Multivariable Cox models, survival trees, and random survival forests were applied to determine which sleep characteristics increase mortality risk. Rhythmicity (actigraphy pseudo-F statistic) and continuity (actigraphy minutes awake after sleep onset) were the most robust sleep predictors across models. In a multivariable Cox model, lower rhythmicity (hazard ratio, HR [95%CI] =1.12 [1.04, 1.22]) and lower continuity (1.16 [1.08, 1.24]) were the strongest sleep predictors. In the random survival forest, rhythmicity and continuity were the most important individual sleep characteristics (ranked as the sixth and eighth most important among 43 possible sleep and non-sleep predictors); moreover, the predictive importance of all sleep information considered simultaneously followed only age, cognition, and cardiovascular disease. Research within a multidimensional sleep health framework can jumpstart future research on causal pathways linking sleep and health, new interventions that target specific sleep health profiles, and improved sleep screening for adverse health outcomes.

Is Type D personality a risk factor for all-cause mortality? A prospective population-based study among 2625 colorectal cancer survivors from the PROFILES registry

ObjectiveOur goal was to examine whether Type D personality and its components, negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI), were associated with all-cause mortality among colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. MethodsCRC patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2009, as registered in the Dutch population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry, received a questionnaire on Type D (DS14) on average 5.3years after diagnosis. Survival status (31-12-2013) was obtained from the Central Bureau for Genealogy. We used a Cox proportional hazard model to relate personality to all-cause mortality, while adjusting for demographics, clinical characteristics and cardiovascular disease (CVD). ResultsFifty percent was categorized as the ‘reference group’ (n=1281), 17% as ‘SI only’ (n=421), 12% as ‘NA only’ (n=309), and 21% as ‘Type D’ (n=532). After adjustment, CRC patients in the ‘NA only’ and ‘Type D’ groups showed an increased risk (HR=2.0, 95% CI=1.4–2.8, p<0.01, and HR=1.7, 95% CI=1.3–2.4, p<0.01) for all-cause mortality. This adverse effect of NA was limited to men aged >70. There was an additional adverse effect of SI on all-cause mortality in older men without CVD (HR=2.3, 95% CI=1.2–4.4, p=0.01). Personality was not related to mortality in women. Entering personality continuously, showed an increased risk for NA among older survivors, men and patients with comorbid CVD. Neither SI nor the interaction term was predictive in both the un- and adjusted Cox models. ConclusionOur findings suggest that it is the NA component that drives the adverse effect of psychological distress on survival in CRC patients, which is most prominent among older men.

Mobility as a predictor of all-cause mortality in older men and women: 11.8\xa0year follow-up in the Troms\xf8 study

BackgroundDisability in older adults is associated with loss of independence, institutionalization, and death. The aim of this study was to study the association between the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and all-cause mortality in a population-based sample of older men and women.MethodsOur study population was home dwellers aged 65 and above, who participated in the fifth wave of the Tromsø study. This study included the TUG test and a range of lifestyle and mortality predictors. Participants were linked to the Cause of Death Registry and followed up for mortality for a maximum of 11.8 years. Cox regression was used to investigate the association between TUG and total mortality.ResultsMean TUG score was 12.6 s, and men performed better than women. The oldest participants had poorer TUG score compared to younger participants, increasing 0.25 s per year. There was a significant association between TUG and all-cause mortality, and the association was equally strong in men and women. Across the TUG-score categories, from quickest fifth to slowest fifth, the mortality increased in a step-wise fashion. Compared to the quickest fifth, the slowest fifth had hazard ratio (HR) of 1.79 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33, 2.42) in a model adjusted for age and gender. For each standard deviation TUG-score the increase in HR was 1.23 (95% CI 1.14, 1.33). The association between the TUG score and mortality remained significant after adjusting for self-reported health, body mass index, smoking and education.ConclusionsA significant association between the TUG score and mortality was observed in both men and women. Identifying older people with poor TUG may aid in identifying those at risk and thus targeted interventions may be applied.

Fall Risk Assessment Predicts Fall-Related Injury, Hip Fracture, and Head Injury in Older Adults.

To investigate the role of a fall risk assessment, using the Downton Fall Risk Index (DFRI), in predicting fall-related injury, fall-related head injury and hip fracture, and death, in a large cohort of older women and men residing in Sweden. Cross sectional observational study. Sweden. Older adults (mean age 82.4 ± 7.8) who had a fall risk assessment using the DFRI at baseline (N = 128,596). Information on all fall-related injuries, all fall-related head injuries and hip fractures, and all-cause mortality was collected from the Swedish Patient Register and Cause of Death Register. The predictive role of DFRI was calculated using Poisson regression models with age, sex, height, weight, and comorbidities as covariates, taking time to outcome or end of study into account. During a median follow-up of 253 days (interquartile range 90-402 days) (>80,000 patient-years), 15,299 participants had a fall-related injury, 2,864 a head injury, and 2,557 a hip fracture, and 23,307 died. High fall risk (DFRI ≥3) independently predicted fall-related injury (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.39-1.49), hip fracture (HR = 1.51, 95% CI =1.38-1.66), head injury (HR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.03-1.22), and all-cause mortality (HR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.35-1.43). DFRI more strongly predicted head injury (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.21-1.36 vs HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04-1.11) and hip fracture (HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.30-1.53 vs HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.05-1.11) in 70-year old men than in 90-year old women (P < .001). Fall risk assessment using DFRI independently predicts fall-related injury, fall-related head injury and hip fracture, and all-cause mortality in older men and women, indicating its clinical usefulness to identify individuals who would benefit from interventions.

Sexual Function and Mortality in Older Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project.

The longitudinal association between progressive temporal change in sexual (dys)function and mortality in older men. Community-dwelling men aged 70 years and older from the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project were assessed at baseline (2005-2007, n = 1,705), 2-years follow-up (n = 1,367), and 5-years follow-up (n = 958). Self-reported sexual function (erectile function and sexual activity) using standardized questions were analyzed by generalized estimating equations to examine the longitudinal prediction of mortality according to change in sexual function across three time-points. Men reported to have erectile dysfunction increased from 64% to 80%, and to be sexually inactive increased from 56% to 59% over the course follow-up. In univariate analyses, erectile dysfunction (hazard ratio: 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45-2.81) or having no sexual activity (hazard ratio: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.82-2.93) at baseline predicted increased mortality over the subsequent 7 years. Models adjusted for multivariate and major reproductive hormones had negligible impact on mortality prediction, but neither statistically significantly predicted mortality after adjusting for depression. Similarly, change in erectile dysfunction over time was associated with mortality over 7 years in univariate (odds ratio: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.34-2.14) and multivariate analysis, including hormones, but not after adjusting for depression (odds ratio: 1.24, 95% CI: 0.95-1.62). Change in sexual activity was associated with mortality over 7 years in univariate analysis (odds ratio: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.33-4.20) but not after adjusting for age (odds ratio: 1.45, 95% CI: 0.79-2.64). Our analyses suggest sexual dysfunction was not an independent risk factor of, but rather may be a biomarker for, all-cause mortality in older men.

Diabetes, myocardial infarction and stroke are distinct and duration-dependent predictors of subsequent cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in older men.

The impact of older age and duration of diabetes mellitus on macrovascular complications is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that in older men, diabetes duration predicts incident cardiovascular events and death, differently from prior myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke. This was a longitudinal cohort study of 11 728 community-dwelling men aged ≥ 65 years in Perth, Western Australia, recruited in 1996-1999. We assessed all-cause mortality, and deaths or hospital admissions with MI or stroke between recruitment and December 2010, analyzing age-specific hazard and adjusting for smoking, education, alcohol, exercise, BMI, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Among 1433 (12.2%) men with diabetes, 208 (14.5%) reported age of onset of diabetes < 55 years, 451 (31.5%) 55-64 years, 679 (47.4%) 65-74 years with 95 (6.6%) > 74 years. Diabetes independently predicted increased all-cause mortality with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.37 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15-1.62) for a duration of 5-9 years, 1.35 (1.18-1.55) for 10-14 years, 1.42 (1.22-1.66) for 15-19 years, and 1.75 (1.45-2.11) for 20-24 years. Mortality from MI was increased for diabetes duration up to 25 years, while stroke-specific mortality increased progressively with diabetes duration. Prior MI or stroke predicted increased risk of subsequent events peaking after 10-20 years. In older men, increasing duration of diabetes predicts stable increases in all-cause and MI-related mortality and a progressively higher risk of stroke deaths. Prior MI was associated with increased risk of subsequent MI, and prior stroke with subsequent stroke, particularly in the 10-20 years following the first event. Diabetes is a duration-dependent risk factor for cardiovascular events which influences outcomes differently from prior vascular disease.

Frailty as a predictor of all-cause mortality in older men and women

To investigate the modifying effect of sex on the association between frailty and all-cause mortality, and to determine the effects of changes in frailty status on mortality. This population-based study comprised 654 persons aged 76-100 years (mean age 82 ± 4.6 years). Frailty status was assessed at baseline in 2005, and reassessed in 2007 (n=546) using the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria. Death dates were received from the official register until the end of 2009. The associations between frailty, changes in frailty and mortality were investigated using Cox regression models. At baseline, 93 (14%) participants were classified as frail, and 311 (48%) as pre-frail. Over the 4-year follow up, 173 (27%) baseline respondents died. The mortality risk for participants who were frail at baseline was 2.7 (95% CI 1.6-4.5) compared with the robust. In the fully adjusted model, the association was significant for women (HR 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.3), and of borderline significance for men (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.0-5.9). In men, pre-frailty and frailty were both associated with increased mortality risk only in the age-adjusted model (pre-frailty HR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.5; frailty HR 4.0, 95% CI 1.9-8.9). Decline in frailty status during the 2-year follow-up period also markedly increased the risk for mortality over the succeeding 2 years. Frailty is strongly associated with higher mortality, especially among women. Among men, the association was explained by baseline functional capacity, comorbidity and lifestyle factors. Changes in frailty status should also be taken into consideration when planning geriatric care, as such changes could indicate a more rapid decline in health.