Table 4. Characteristics according to age.*†.
| Characteristic | <65 years | ≥65 years | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 1258) | (n = 1419) | ||
| Sex, n (%) | .046 | ||
| Females | 634 (50) | 670 (47) | |
| Males | 624 (50) | 749 (53) | |
| Socioeconomic status | |||
| Educational level, n (%) | .106 | ||
| No schooling | 125 (10) | 127 (9) | |
| Primary or lower secondary | 504 (40) | 539 (38) | |
| Upper secondary or professional training | 424 (34) | 525 (37) | |
| University | 203 (16) | 227 (16) | |
| Monthly household income (Euros), n (%) | .067 | ||
| ≤900 | 118 (9) | 156 (11) | |
| 901–1200 | 331 (26) | 478 (34) | |
| 1201–1800 | 466 (37) | 518 (37) | |
| >1800 | 335 (27) | 255 (18) | |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 347 (28) | 426 (30) | .079 |
| Current drinker, n (%) | 262 (21) | 308 (22) | .124 |
| Age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (score), mean (SD) | 2.4 (1.2) | 4.9 (1.8) | < .001 |
| Estimated weight loss (% over 6–12 months), mean (SD) | 10.7 (6.6) | 13.1 (7.2) | < .001 |
| Estimated weight loss (Kg over 6–12 months), mean (SD) | 7.5 (4.4) | 9.1 (5.1) | < .001 |
| Unintentional weight loss of known origin, n (%) | 1121 (89) | 1181 (83) | < .001 |
| Malignant disorders | 390 (31) | 493 (35) | < .001 |
| Digestive malignancies [C15, C16, C18, C20, C25, C22.0, C22.1] | 170 (14 [44]) | 245 (17 [50]) | .032 |
| Other nonhematologic malignancies [C50, C53, C54.1, C56, C61, C64, C65, C66, C67, C34, C80.0] | 144 (11 [37]) | 227 (16 [46]) | < .001 |
| Hematologic malignancies [C81, C85.9] | 76 (6 [19]) | 21 (1 [4]) | < .001 |
| Nonmalignant organic disorders | 479 (38) | 512 (36) | .072 |
| Digestive disorders | 191 (15) | 259 (18) | .040 |
| Oral/swallowing/dental problems [R13, K11.7, K08.9, R43.8] ‡ | 20 (2 [10]) | 121 (9 [47]) | < .001 |
| Noninfective colitis/gastroenteritis [K52.3, K52.8] | 58 (5 [30]) | 39 (3 [15]) | .090 |
| Chronic vascular intestinal disorders [K55.1] | 2 (0 [1]) | 22 (2 [8]) | .039 |
| Other digestive disorders [K25, K26, K50, K51, K90.0, K90.3, K90.9] | 111 (9 [58]) | 77 (5 [30]) | < .001 |
| Endocrine disorders [E05, E06.1, E10, E11, E21.0] | 106 (8) | 33 (2) | < .001 |
| Infectious diseases | 99 (8) | 20 (1) | < .001 |
| Tuberculosis [A16.7, A16.5, A18.2, A16.3] | 39 (3 [39]) | 7 (0 [35]) | .024 |
| Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease [B20, B21, B22.2] | 24 (2 [24]) | 2 (0 [10]) | .028 |
| Gastroenteritis/colitis [A09] | 35 (3 [35]) | 10 (1 [50]) | .093 |
| Infective endocarditis [I33.0] | 1 (0 [1]) | 1 (0 [5]) | .203 |
| Nervous system diseases | 18 (1) | 62 (4) | .037 |
| Stroke and Parkinson disease [I64, G20] | 15 (1 [83]) | 61 (4 [98]) | .033 |
| Motor neuron disease [G12.2] | 3 (0 [17]) | 1 (0 [2]) | .199 |
| Respiratory diseases [J84.1, J84.9, J90, J86.9, J85.2] | 10 (1) | 10 (1) | .287 |
| Systemic autoimmune diseases | 26 (2) | 63 (4) | .072 |
| Polymyalgia rheumatica/giant cell arteritis [M35.3, M31.5] | 4 (0 [15]) | 52 (4 [83]) | < .001 |
| Other autoimmune diseases [M30.0, M32.1†, M06.9] | 22 (2 [85]) | 11 (1 [17]) | .136 |
| Kidney and ureteral diseases [N01, N03, N04, N11.0, N11.1, N13.3] | 26 (2) | 14 (1) | .140 |
| Adverse effect of drugs [T88.7] | 3 (0) | 51 (4) | < .001 |
| Psychosocial disorders | 252 (20) | 176 (12) | < .001 |
| Depression/anxiety disorders/obsessive-compulsive disorder [F32, F45, F41, F42] | 193 (15 [77]) | 109 (8 [62]) | < .001 |
| Dementia [F00.9*, F01.9, F03] | 5 (0 [2]) | 42 (3 [24]) | .019 |
| Socioeconomic factors and immobility/disability problems [Z59, Z60, R26.3, Z73.6] | 32 (3 [13]) | 22 (2 [13]) | .140 |
| Other psychiatric disorders [F31, F20, F10, F11, F14, F19] | 22 (2 [9]) | 3 (0 [2]) | .084 |
| Initially unexplained unintentional weight loss, n (%) | 137 (11) | 238 (17) | < .001 |
| Time-to-diagnosis (days), mean (SD) | 13.5 (3.4) | 14.6 (3.5) | .046 |
| Follow-up | |||
| Follow-up time (months), mean (SD) | 14.9 (7.8) | 13.9 (7.0) | .058 |
| Deaths, n (%) | 282 (22) | 440 (31) | < .001 |
* * Causes are categorized according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10 Version: 2015) [50]. Codes for specific disorders are detailed in Table 2.
† Relative percentages are shown in square brackets.
‡ R13: dysphagia and difficulty in swallowing, K11.7: disturbances of salivary secretion, K08.9: disorder of teeth and supporting structures, unspecified, R43.8: other and unspecified disturbances of smell and taste [50].
Missing data: variables ‘no schooling’ (n = 2 in patients <65 years and n = 1 in patients ≥65 years), monthly incomes of ‘901–1200’ (n = 3 in patients <65 years and n = 5 in patients ≥65 years) and of ‘1201–1800’ (n = 5 in patients <65 years and n = 7 in patients ≥65 years), and ‘age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index’ (n = 8 in patients <65 years and n = 11 in patients ≥65 years).