Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the prognostic value of serum albumin for 4-year mortality among high-functioning persons who did or did not have evidence of inflammation as indicated by high interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels. DESIGN: We used a case-cohort design of healthy, nondisabled older persons who had serum albumin and plasma IL-6 measured at baseline. Crude and multiply adjusted (for sociodemographics and chronic diseases) proportional hazards models were used to identify the effect of baseline levels of serum albumin level on 4-year mortality among those with higher and lower levels of IL-6. RESULTS: Among subjects without evidence of IL-6-mediated inflammation (IL-6 <3.20 pg/mL), having a lower (≤ 4.4 g/dL) albumin level was associated with a multiply adjusted relative risk of 2.1 for 4-year mortality compared with those wish higher albumin. In the presence of inflammation (IL-6 ≥ 3.20 pg/mL), higher and lower serum albumin levels had similar risks (adjusted relative risks 4.0 and 3.8, respectively) compared with the referent group (higher albumin and low IL-6). CONCLUSIONS: High serum albumin has a protective effect in healthy older persons who do not have evidence of cytokine-mediated inflammation. This protective effect is not conferred in presence of inflammation. The mechanisms by which inflammation eliminates the protective effect of high albumin remain to be determined.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1404-1407 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 11 |
State | Published - 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Albumin
- Cytokines
- Inflammation
- Interleukin-6
- Malnutrition
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geriatrics and Gerontology