A ten - year comprehensive study of the community elderly

为了明确加速和延缓衰老的因素，并验证老年病和慢性病的病因，1976年在东京郊区的小金井市开始了一项多学科纵向研究，研究对象是422名（男性197名，女性225名）69 - 71岁的老年人，1976年住在家里。他们在医学、社会学和心理学学科的多学科基础上进行了调查。在1981年和1986年对他们进行了重新检查，在此期间也调查了对随访无应答者的结局，422名受试者中有102人在10年内死亡。低血清白蛋白、握力弱、记忆力差和基线时社会活动水平低是导致死亡率升高的原因。心电图异常也是死亡的危险因素，基线时男女社会活动水平低、男性有高血压史、女性超重者10年后日常生活活动能力下降。1981年招募了与1976年入组的受试者年龄范围相同的另一个队列。1986年，我们比较了第一和第二队列70 ~ 75岁的衰老速度差异，血清白蛋白、身高等衰老生物学指标显示第二队列的衰老速度比第一队列慢。日本老年人的老龄化存在明显的群体差异。因此，纵向研究对于研究衰老至关重要。

In order to specify factors accelerating and decelerating aging process and to verify etiology of geriatric diseases and chronic conditions, a multidisciplinary longitudinal study was begun in 1976, in Koganei City, a suburb of Tokyo.Subjects were 422 (males 197, females 225) elders aged 69 - 71 years, living at home in 1976. They were investigated on multidisciplinary basis of medical, sociological, and psychological disciplines. They were re - examined in 1981 and 1986, during which time the outcome of the non -respondents to follow-ups was also investigated.A hundred and two out of 422 subjects died during 10 years. Low serum albumin, weak grip strength, bad memory and low level of social activities at the base - line contributed to higher mortality. E C G abnormalities were also risk foctors for death.Low level of social activities in both sexes, history of hypertension in males, and overweight in females at the base-line predicted decline of activities of daily living in the survivors 10 years later. Another cohort of same age range as subjects enrolled in 1976 was recruited in 1981. They were examined as in same procedure as the survey in 1976.In 1986, we could compare difference of velocity in aging from ages 70 to 75 between the first and the second cohorts.Some biological markers of aging ie; serum albumin, height etc demonstrated that aging was slower in the second cohort than in the first cohort. It is evident that there is a cohort diffence of aging in the Japanese elderly. Longitudinal studies, therefore, are essential for looking into aging.