Clinical and laboratory profile information in the prediction of death in elderly patients

A study of prognosis over the first six weeks following admission to a department of geriatric medicine compared the predictive value of a clinical assessment at admission with other more objective parameters such as profile investigations, mental test score and assessment of dehydration and constitutional upset. A total of 739 patients were studied prospectively. The clinical assessment proved to be by far the strongest predictor of six-week mortality. In men the prediction it gave was not improved significantly by addition of the other factors. In women serum albumin, blood urea and assessment of constitutional upset added significantly to the prediction, thought the overall improvement in classification was small and mental test score made a borderline contribution only.