Table 1.
Characteristics, eligibility criteria, and methods to determine clinical and outcome measures in Genetic and Inflammatory Markers of Sepsis (GenIMS) and Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) cohorts.
| Variable | GenIMS study | Health ABC study |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusion criteria | Age >18 years and clinical and radiologic diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia |
70–79 year community-dwelling older adults |
| Exclusion criteria | Transfer from another hospital, discharge from an acute care hospital within the previous ten days, diagnosis of pneumonia within the previous 30 days, chronic dependency on mechanical ventilation, cystic fibrosis, active pulmonary tuberculosis, admission for palliative care, prior enrollment in the study, incarceration, or pregnancy. |
Actively treated cancer, severe cognitive impairment, or plans of leaving the area within three years. |
| Enrollment period | 2001–2003 | 1997–1998 |
| Ascertainment of outcome measures | ||
| All-cause mortality | By study nurses during hospitalization and by National Death Index after hospital discharge |
Semi-annual telephone follow-up, notification of death by proxy, spouse, relative, or friend, and review of obituaries in local newspaper. Once a death was reported, a copy of the death certificate was obtained in all cases to confirm death, and the next of kin or a pre-designated proxy was interviewed |
| Cause specific mortality | National Death Index codes | Not analyzed due to small sample size |
| Severe sepsis | Defined as pneumonia and organ dysfunction, based on the International Consensus Criteria34 |
Not assessed |
| Comorbid conditions | ||
| Diabetes mellitus | Self-report and review of medications (use of oral hypoglycemic medications or insulin) |
Self-report and review of medications (use of oral hypoglycemic medications or insulin) or fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dl35 |
| Cardiovascular disease | Self-report and review of medications | Self-report and review of medications |
| Chronic kidney disease | Self report and pre-hospitalization creatinine measurements, if available. We also used creatinine measurements available during hospitalization to exclude chronic kidney disease |
Creatinine measurements at enrollment and using the MDRD criteria36 |