Association between serum albumin and mortality in Japan older people with dysphagia

To determine whether there is a link between serum albumin and mortality among participants in the elderly in Japan. This is a single-center,retrospective cohort study analysis of 253 old patients with dysphagia from Japan, conducted from January 2014 to January 2017. The primary outcome was mortality. We performed Cox regression analysis to compare the mortality between the two groups (divided by serum albumin = 3 g/dl). 253 patients were included in the analysis, of whom the number of serum albumin under 3 g/dl was 93. The log-rank test showed a significant longer mortality in the high group (serum albumin > = 3 g/dl) compared with the low group (median, 382 vs. 176 days, P < 0.0001). Cox regression analysis showed that unadjusted HR for the high group relative to the low group was 0.40 (95% CI: 0.29-0.57; P < 0.001). After adjusting 3 models in multivariable analysis, serum albumin was significantly associated with mortality. The adjusted HRs (95% CI) for total mortality rates were 0.46 (0.33-0.65), 0.66 (0.44-0.99) and 0.64 (0.42-0.97), from model 2 to model 4. There is negative association between serum albumin and mortality in Japanese old people with dysphagia.

Automated summary

This study analyzed data from elderly dysphagia patients in Japan and found a negative association between serum albumin levels and mortality. Patients with higher serum albumin levels had lower mortality rates.