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Body Mass Index is Inversely Related to Mortality in Elderly Subjects

  • Original Article
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Journal of General Internal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To study the long-term effect of being overweight on mortality in very elderly subjects.

Methods

The medical records of 470 inpatients (226 males) with a mean age of 81.5 ± 7 years and hospitalized in an acute geriatric ward between 1999 and 2000 were reviewed for this study. Body mass index (BMI) at admission day was subdivided into quartiles: <22, 22–25, 25.01–28, and ≥28 kg/m2. Patients were followed-up until August 31, 2004. Mortality data were taken from death certificates.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 3.46 ± 1.87 years (median 4.2 years [range 1.6 to 5.34 years]), 248 patients died. Those who died had lower baseline BMI than those who survived (24.1 ± 4.2 vs 26.3 ± 4.6 kg/m2; p < .0001). The age-adjusted mortality rate decreased from 24 to 9.6 per 100 patient-years from the highest to lowest BMI quartile (p < .001). BMI was associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality even after controlling for sex. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model identified that even after controlling for male gender, age, renal failure, and diabetes mellitus, which increased the risk of all-cause mortality, elevated BMI decreased the all-cause mortality risk.

Conclusions

In very elderly subjects, elevated BMI was associated with reduced mortality risk.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

body mass index

BP:

blood pressure

mmHg:

millimeter Hg (mercury)

mg/dL:

milligram/deciliter

Kg:

kilogram

cm:

centimeter

m2 :

meter square

SD:

standard deviation

IHD:

ischemic heart disease

CHF:

congestive heart failure

HR:

hazard ratios

CI:

confidence intervals

PH:

proportional hazards

EHF = Ĥ 0(t):

empirical cumulative hazards function

vs:

versus

WC:

waist circumference

SBP:

systolic blood pressure

DBP:

diastolic blood pressure

ACE:

angiotensin converting enzyme

M/F:

males/females

beats/min:

beats per minute

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Conflict of Interest Statement

None of the authors of this manuscript has any conflict of interest regarding funding source or other potential source of support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Department, Beilinson Hospital, The Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel

    Avraham Weiss MD, Yichayaou Beloosesky MD & Alexandra Yalov MSc

  2. Epidemiology and Research Unit, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Israel

    Mona Boaz PhD

  3. Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories, Department of Cardiology, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel

    Ran Kornowski MD (Prof)

  4. Internal Medicine D and Hypertension Unit, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Ehud Grossman MD (Prof)

Authors
  1. Avraham Weiss MD
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  2. Yichayaou Beloosesky MD
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  3. Mona Boaz PhD
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  4. Alexandra Yalov MSc
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  5. Ran Kornowski MD
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  6. Ehud Grossman MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Avraham Weiss MD.

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Weiss, A., Beloosesky, Y., Boaz, M. et al. Body Mass Index is Inversely Related to Mortality in Elderly Subjects. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 19–24 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0429-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0429-4

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