Resting electrocardiographic abnormalities as predictors of coronary events and total mortality among elderly men.

Purpose: To examine the prognostic significance of electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities among the elderly.

Materials And Methods: The Finnish cohorts of the Seven Countries Study involved 697 men aged 65 to 84 years at baseline in 1984. A 5-year follow-up was made from 1984 to 1989.

Comparison of multivariate predictive power of major risk factors for coronary heart diseases in different countries: results from eight nations of the Seven Countries Study, 25-year follow-up.

Background: It was hypothesized that among eight national groups of men aged 40-59 years enrolled in the Seven Countries Study, the multivariate coefficients of major risk factors predicting coronary heart disease mortality over 25 years would be relatively similar.

Materials And Methods: Sixteen cohorts were located in eight nations and pooled, comprising one cohort in the USA, two in Finland, one in the Netherlands, three in Italy, two in Croatia (former Yugoslavia), three in Serbia (Yugoslavia), two in Greece and two in Japan, for a total of over 12000 subjects at entry. Coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality was defined as fatal myocardial infarction or sudden coronary death, and proportional hazard models were solved, for each country, with age, serum cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure and cigarette consumption as covariates.

Changes in serum cholesterol level and mortality: a 30-year follow-up. The Finnish cohorts of the seven countries study.

The association of past changes in serum cholesterol level with cause-specific mortality between 1974 and 1989 was examined in a cohort of 784 Finnish men aged 55-74 years who were free of symptomatic coronary heart disease in 1974. Changes in serum cholesterol level were computed based on measurements made in 1959, 1964, 1969, and 1974. Of the 405 deaths, 202 were due to cardiovascular diseases and 107 due to cancer.

Short- and long-term association of serum cholesterol with mortality. The 25-year follow-up of the Finnish cohorts of the seven countries study.

The association of serum cholesterol with cause-specific and all-cause mortality was assessed in a cohort of 1,426 men aged 40-59 years who were free of clinically evident heart disease at baseline (1959). A total of 748 deaths (53 percent of the participants) occurred during the 25-year follow-up period. Men with high serum cholesterol levels at baseline had high mortality due to coronary heart disease during both the early and later parts of the follow-up period.

All cause mortality and its determinants in middle aged men in Finland, The Netherlands, and Italy in a 25 year follow up.

Study Objective: The aims were (1) to compare all cause mortality in population samples of different cultures; and (2) to cross predict fatal event by risk functions involving risk factors usually measured in cardiovascular epidemiology.

Design: The study was a 25 year prospective cohort study. The prediction of all cause mortality was made using the multiple logistic equation as a function of 12 risk factors; the prediction of months lived after entry examination was made by the multiple linear regression using the same factors.

Blood pressure changes as predictors of future mortality in the seven countries study.

Twelve cohorts of men aged 40-59 at entry, enrolled in six countries (Finland, The Netherlands, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece and Japan), giving a total of 8,287 subjects, were examined for the measurement of cardiovascular risk factors and then followed-up for 20 years. Changes of systolic blood pressure (SBP) occurred over the first 10 years in 6,767 men and these values, computed by an integral-like procedure (Delta-SBP), were used as possible predictors of fatal events recorded in the second 10 years of follow-up. Men who had a relative increase of SBP in the first 10 years showed an excess risk of death as compared with those who had a relative decrease of SBP, after adjustment for age and entry levels of SBP.

Twenty-five-year mortality from coronary heart disease and its prediction in five cohorts of middle-aged men in Finland, The Netherlands, and Italy.

Five cohorts of men ages 40-59 (Finland: 2 cohorts of 1,677 men; Netherlands: 1 cohort of 878 men; Italy: 2 cohorts of 1,712 men) were examined and evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors in 1959-1960 and subsequently followed-up for mortality over the next 25 years. Age-adjusted death rates from coronary heart disease were highest in Finland (244 per 1,000), intermediate in The Netherlands (195 per 1,000), and lowest in Italy (122 per 1,000) with a twofold range between the extremes. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for single cohorts and for the pools of national cohorts with coronary heart disease deaths as endpoints and 12 risk factors as covariates.

Predictors of high functional capacity and mortality in elderly Finnish men.

Factors predicting high functional capacity in old age and 25-year mortality were studied in 1711 men aged 40 to 59 years. The study population was that of the East-West Study, i.e.

Mental disability among elderly men in Finland: prevalence, predictors and correlates.

Mental disability, variables associated with it and predictors of mental disability in late life were studied in 716 men from eastern and southwestern Finland in connection with the 25-year follow-up of the east-west study, which formed the Finnish part of the seven-countries study. The examinations were carried out in autumn 1984, when the men were 65-84 years of age. According to a 10-item mental status questionnaire, 95% of the men had normal mental capacities.

Risk factors and 25 year risk of coronary heart disease in a male population with a high incidence of the disease: the Finnish cohorts of the seven countries study.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of high serum cholesterol concentration, raised blood pressure, and smoking as predictors of coronary heart disease.

Design: Prospective cohort study of middle aged men conducted over 25 years.

Setting: Finish components of an ongoing international study (seven countries study).

Changes in alcohol consumption and mortality in aged Finnish men.

Drinking patterns and changes in alcohol consumption from 1974 to 1984 and associations between alcohol consumption in 1974 and ten-year mortality rates from cardiovascular, violent, cancer or all causes were studied among Finnish men born between 1900 and 1919. The overall absolute alcohol consumption was low in both 1974 and 1984. The average alcohol consumption and drinking pattern did not significantly change with increasing age, though some individual changes occured.

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease among 55 to 74 year-old Finnish men: a 10-year follow-up.

The importance of serum total cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and smoking as predictors of cardiovascular (CVD) disease were studied in 867 men aged 55 to 74 years belonging to the Finnish cohorts of the Seven Countries Study. Men had no definite history of myocardial infarction nor any signs of cerebrovascular disease at baseline in 1974. During the 10-year follow-up 248 men either died from CVD or had non-fatal CVD event, including a total of 188 fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease (CHD) events.

Association of physical activity with coronary risk factors and physical ability: twenty-year follow-up of a cohort of Finnish men.

The association of physical activity with coronary risk factors and self-reported physical ability was studied in a cohort of 331 healthy Finnish men aged 45-64 years at entry, representing the survivors of a 20-year longitudinal study from 1964 to 1984. Baseline physical activity was not significantly related to levels of coronary risk factors at subsequent 5-year, 10-year or 20-year follow-up examinations. The 72 who increased their physical activity during the study period smoked less at 20-year follow-up than those who remained sedentary (p = 0.

Alcohol consumption and mortality in aging or aged Finnish men.

The association between alcohol consumption and 10-year mortality by death cause was studied in 1112 men aged 55-74 years and living either in eastern or south-western Finland. After adjustment for age, blood pressure, smoking, serum cholesterol, and other variables, the relative odds ratio of 10-year total mortality associated with consuming 1-273 g of absolute alcohol per month was 0.9 (95% confidence interval of 0.

Vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium status in an aged Finnish male population.

Vitamin A (retinol), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) and selenium concentrations in serum were studied during the autumn season (October and November) in two Finnish male populations aged 65-84 years and living either in eastern or southwestern Finland. The mean vitamin A concentration was higher in south-western, but the mean selenium concentration was higher in eastern Finland. Mean vitamin A concentrations did not differ between age groups, but in the south-west highest vitamin E and selenium concentrations were found among the youngest population.

Predictors of disability in elderly Finnish men--a longitudinal study.

Factors predicting disability in late life were studied in 716 men from eastern or southwestern Finland in connection with the 25-year follow-up of the East-West Study, which is part of the Seven Countries Study, in 1984. In middle-aged men, low forced vital capacity, occurrence of diabetes, presence of intermittent claudication, high diastolic blood pressure, higher age and lower educational level showed the greatest predicting power for future disability 15-25 years later. In later middle age, low forced vital capacity, presence of intermittent claudication, cerebrovascular disease or coronary heart disease and higher age were the most powerful predictors for disability 10 years later.

Functional capacity and associated factors in elderly Finnish men.

Functional capacity and associated factors were studied in 321 men from eastern Finland and 395 men from southwestern Finland in connection with the 25-year follow-up survey of the East-West Study. The survey was carried out in autumn 1984, when the men were 65-84 years of age. In the measurement of different activities of daily living, 55 to 95% in the east and 62 to 97% in the south-west reported that they managed daily activities without another person's help.

Determinants and predictors of heavy alcohol consumption among aging Finnish men.

The aim was to identify socioeconomic, health behaviour, and health factors associated with or predicting heavy alcohol consumption in late middle age (55-74 years) or in old age (65-84 years). The material included a follow-up study of two cohorts of Finnish males resident either in eastern or south-western Finland. The main variables associated with heavy alcohol consumption in late middle age were: relatively young age and heavy smoking.

Changes in alcohol consumption during a ten-year follow-up among Finnish men aged 55-74 years.

Drinking patterns, changes in alcohol consumption from 1974 to 1984 and socioeconomic, social, health and health-related variables associated with changes were studied in a male cohort born 1900-1919 and living either in eastern or in southwestern Finland. The average alcohol consumption and drinking pattern did not change to any significant extent among these Finnish men with increasing age, though some individual changes happened. Most aging or aged Finnish men did not react to social stressors or worsening of health by changing alcohol consumption.

Serum selenium and risk of cancer. A prospective follow-up of nine years.

The association between serum selenium concentration and the risk of cancer was studied in 1110 men aged 55 to 74 years in two rural areas of Finland. The men were followed-up prospectively for 9 years and there were 109 new cases of cancer, with the cases of the first follow-up year excluded. The serum selenium concentrations were adjusted for age, area, smoking, serum cholesterol, and alcohol intake.

Reduction of premature mortality by high physical activity: a 20-year follow-up of middle-aged Finnish men.

The association of physical activity level with the risk of death was analysed for a cohort of 636 healthy Finnish men aged 45-64 years followed up for 20 years. 39% of the cohort were classed as highly active physically at baseline in 1964. Up to 1984 there were 287 deaths, 106 of them due to coronary heart disease (CHD).

Age and regional differences in reliability and factor structure of the Zung Self-rating Scale in elderly Finnish men.

Regional and age differences in the reliability and factor structure of the SDS among elderly (65-84 years) men who were living either in eastern or in southwestern Finland were investigated. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was .803 for the eastern and .

Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in elderly men aged 65 to 84 years in eastern and western Finland.

We studied the prevalence of diabetes mellitus in men aged 65 to 84 years in Finland. The study sample consisted of 763 men, the survivors of the Finnish cohort of the "Seven Countries Study" first examined in 1959. The participation rate in the present survey was 94%.

Levels of some biological risk indicators among elderly men in Finland.

A 25-year follow-up survey of the Finnish men examined in the Seven Countries Study and now 65-84 years old was carried out in the East and the South-West of Finland in 1984. The follow-up examinations were carried out as in the previous surveys. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were now significantly lower in the East than in the South-West of Finland.