Changes in Blood Chemical Constituents and Death in the Aged Population. The Hisayama Study

Abstract

In order to elucidate whether changes of blood chemistries could be an indicator of development of fatal diseases in aged persons, 18 blood chemical constituents were measured at two different occasions, 1973–74 and 1978, in 818 Hisayama residents aged 60 or over. They were followed for 3 years from 1978 to 1981. During this period, 57 of the study-subjects died of various diseases such as neoplasms, cardiovascular diseases and the others, and their causes of death were mostly verified by autopsy. Values of blood chemical constituents at the cross-sectional surveys and the difference of those between the two examinations were compared between the groups of death and survival. Comparing data between the two groups, age was adjusted because of the deceased persons being much more distributed in the old age. Of all 18 blood chemical constituents of the second determination, serum albumin and calcium (Ca) were significantly lower in female deceased than survived, while in male, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum albumin were lowered in deceased subjects, even though age was adjusted between the two groups. On the other hand, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), thymol turbidity test (TTT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) were significantly higher in male deceased than survived group. Between the first and second determinations, albumin, uric acid (SUA), sodium (Na) and Ca were more decreased in male death group, and only albumin and Ca were more diminished in female one, than in either male or female survived group during 5 years. Although the intra-individual changes were greater in dead than survived subjects, such changes seemed unlikely to be related with the special causes of death. The changing patterns of blood chemical constituents were compared among the survived subjects and the deceased ones with and without previous surgical operation, cerebral stroke or bed-ridden state. However, there were no remarkable differences of variables among the groups. These findings suggest that in the aged humans the intra-individual changes in blood chemistries during a certain interval before death seem to be related to the state of nutrition or aging rather than cause of death or complications. © 1986, The Japan Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.