Article Synopsis |  | While individual contributions of cigarette smoking, diabetes and hypertension have been noted in the clinical sphere, few studies have examined the impact of specific risk factors and combination of risk factors on survival time in the population.
This report looks at the impact of specific risk factors and combinations of risk factors on survival time over the first 15 years of the Dubbo Study by examining mortality rates, risk factors and survival times.
From the 668 (54 per cent) male and 625 (40 per cent) female deaths, coronary heart disease was the major cause of death, with rates higher in men than in women up until age 80. Stroke death rates were similar in both males and females, and cancer and respiratory death rates were higher in men than women in all age groups.
The study also found that independent predictors of mortality were smoking, diabetes, very high blood pressure, impaired peak expiratory flow (PEF), physical disability, and zero intake of alcohol. The average reduction on survival time associated with various risk factors were: for smoking, 22 months for men and 15 months for women; diabetes, 18 months for both men and women; very high blood pressure, 16 months for men and 9 months for women; impaired PEF, 14 months for men and 17 months for women; physical disability, 16 months for men and 12 months for women; and, zero alcohol intake, 9 months for men and 5 months for women.
Combinations of selected risk factors were also found to be associated with a multiplier effect. |