Table 3.
Characteristics of Study Population According to Death (4-years’ Follow-up)
| Characteristic | Total Sample (n = 363) |
||
| Deceased (n = 150) | Alive (n = 213) | p | |
| Age, y | 87.5 ± 5.1 | 84.6 ± 4.2 | <.001 |
| Female* | 95 (63) | 149 (70) | .2 |
| Marital status* | |||
| Married | 34 (23) | 26 (25) | |
| Widowed | 98 (65) | 127 (59) | .1 |
| Never married | 18 (12) | 20 (10) | |
| Living alone* | 29 (20) | 74 (36) | <.001 |
| Education, y | 4.9 ± 1.1 | 5.2 ± 1.8 | .09 |
| Activity of Daily Living Scale score† | 2.6 ± 2.8 | 0.5 ± 1.6 | <.001 |
| Instrumental Activity of Daily Living Scale score‡ | 4.4 ± 2.5 | 2.0 ± 2.1 | <.001 |
| Cognitive Performance Scale score§ | 1.4 ± 1.8 | 0.5 ± 1.1 | <.001 |
| Depression* | 41 (27) | 51 (24) | .4 |
| Number of diseases | 2.4 ± 1.3 | 2.0 ± 1.2 | .007 |
| Specific disease | |||
| Hypertension | 99 (66) | 164(76) | .01 |
| Ischemic heart disease | 22 (15) | 22 (10) | .1 |
| Congestive heart failure | 20 (14) | 2 (1) | <.001 |
| Cancer | 9 (6) | 8 (4) | .2 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 23 (15) | 26 (12) | .2 |
| Diabetes | 57 (38) | 52 (24) | .004 |
| Cerebrovascular diseases | 15 (10) | 2 (1) | <.001 |
| Osteoarthritis | 25 (17) | 46 (21) | .1 |
| Renal disease | 1 (1) | 2 (1) | .7 |
| Number of medications | 3.7 ± 2.4 | 3.0 ± 2.0 | .01 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 24.5 ± 4.7 | 26.3 ± 4.2 | <.001 |
| Alcohol abuse‖* | 22 (15) | 23 (11) | .2 |
| Smoking habit* | 4 (3) | 4 (2) | .6 |
| Sensory impairment* | |||
| Hearing | 46 (31) | 37 (17) | .003 |
| Vision | 41 (27) | 45 (21) | .1 |
| Hematological parameters | 4.1 ± 0.3 | 4.2 ± 2.2 | .002 |
| Albumin, g/dL | |||
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 182.5 ± 42.7 | 206.6 ± 43.6 | <.001 |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 42.3 ± 13.0 | 48.0 ± 13.3 | <.001 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 138.4 ± 61 | 151.5 ± 62.6 | .04 |
| MPO | 170.8 ± 177.5 | 135.4 ± 142.4 | .03 |
Notes: MPO = myeloperoxidase.
*Data are given as number (percent) for the following variables: gender, marital status, living alone, depression, alcohol abuse, smoking habit, sensory impairment; for all the other variables, means ± SD are reported.
†
Activity of Daily Living Scale ranges from 0 (no functional impairment) to 7 (severe functional impairment).
‡
Instrumental Activity of Daily Living Scale ranges from 0 (no functional impairment) to 8 (severe functional impairment).
§
Cognitive Performance Scale ranges from 0 (no cognitive impairment) to 6 (severe cognitive impairment).
‖
More than half liter of wine per day.