Elevated levels of CRP and IL-8 are related to reduce survival time: 1-year follow-up measurements of different analytes in frail elderly nursing home residents

Abstract

There are only few studies with specific focus on predictors of survival in nursing home residents (NHRs). The aim was to study whether 1-year changes in complete blood count (including hemoglobin, red blood cells, erythrocyte volume fraction, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, white blood cells count and platelet count), C-reactive protein and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-1Ra, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10, are associated with 8-year survival in elderly NHRs, aged ≥ 80 years. Complete blood count, C-reactive protein and interleukins were measured at baseline, after 6 and 12 months from 167 NHRs aged 80–101 years, mean age 88 ± 4.5 years, 75% of whom were women. Dates of death were collected from the National Death Register 8 years after baseline. Levels of hemoglobin, red blood cells and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were lower after 1-year, but higher for mean corpuscular volume and IL-1β, compared to baseline or 6 month follow-up. In the Cox regression model with a time-dependent covariate, raised levels of C-reactive protein and IL-8 were associated with reduced survival time. Elevated levels of C-reactive protein and IL-8 during 1-year follow-up were related to reduce lengths of survival in elderly NHRs.

Keywords:

• Aging
• frailty
• blood cell count
• c-reactive protein
• interleukins
• survival

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the registered nurses, nursing assistants, physicians and nursing home residents that helped us to gather data and we wish to express our gratitude to Johan Lyth for performance of statistical analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Research Council of Southeast Sweden; Futurum County Council of Jönköping, Sweden.