[Relationship between participation in annual health examinations and mortality rate over a 5-year period]

A total of 34,000 adults in Fukui City who had participated in annual health examinations at least once between 1986 and 1988, were followed for a period of 5 years. The results were as follows; (1) The mortality rate during a 5 year period was significantly lower for participants in health examinations than in nonparticipants of the same age group. (2) Mortality was significantly related to obesity, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucosuria, proteinuria, occult blood in urine, GOT and cholesterol in man, in women obesity, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucosuria, proteinuria, GOT, GPT and cholesterol were related to mortality. (3) An increase in hazard ratio with increasing degree of thinness was suggested particularly in males. (4) Hazard ratios increased with decreasing cholesterol in both men and women combined. (5) Except for hypertension which increased risk for circulatory disease, none of the above data appeared to be related to specific causes of death.