Diseases and symptoms as predictors of hospital care in an aged population. A prospective register-based study.

The association between diseases and symptoms and general hospital care was studied in a geographically defined population of 1040 persons aged 65 years or over (90% of the eligible non-institutionalized elderly). In eight years, 25% of the subjects used over 60 hospital bed-days. In age-controlled analyses high use of hospital care was predicted by chronic urinary infections and in women also by chronic bronchitis, diabetes mellitus and heart failure. Among men, the risk of high use of hospital care was greatest in those reporting chronic urinary infection (risk ratio 1.9), and among women in those reporting chronic bronchitis (2.1) and diabetes (2.0). As far as symptoms were concerned, the highest risks of hospital care were found in men reporting tremor (risk ratio 1.6) and depressive symptoms (1.5); and in women reporting memory disturbances and dizziness (risk ratios 1.9 and 1.7, respectively). High use of care was predicted by six symptoms in men and seven in women. Reported symptoms proved to be better predictors of high use of hospital care than reported diagnoses.