[Diagnosis in the aged from the pathologic-anatomic viewpoint]

The preciseness of clinical diagnostics for two different age groups was reviewed among 2033 unselected autopsies looking at eight single diagnoses. The younger age group was up to 59 years of age, the older one over 59 years. In the older age group myocardial infarction, hepatocirrhosis, bronchial and gastric carcinomas were less frequently diagnosed compared to the younger group. Pulmonary embolism, pulmonary tuberculosis, colon and breast carcinomas were almost evenly diagnosed before death in both groups. The multimorbidity in aged patients is discussed. Also in the geriatric diagnostic a high autopsy rate--86% in our collective--is important.