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Mortality patterns associated with poult enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS) and coronaviral enteritis in turkey flocks raised in PEMS-affected regions.

Poult enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS) is an economically devastating disease. To date, many questions about the syndrome remain unanswered, including its cause, transmission of causative agent(s), and control methods. Turkey coronavirus (TCV) infection has been associated with some outbreaks of PEMS, with areas having a higher prevalence of TCV infection also experiencing an increased incidence of PEMS. This study was designed to establish mortality patterns for flocks experiencing excess mortality and TCV infection in PEMS-affected regions and to delineate the possible role of TCV in PEMS-affected flocks. Fifty-four commercial turkey flocks on farms in areas with and without a history of TCV infection were monitored for weekly mortality and for antibodies to TCV. Flocks were chosen on the basis of placement dates and were monitored from day of placement until processing. All flocks were tested for TCV by an indirect fluorescent antibody assay. PEMS status was determined with the use of the clinical definition of mortality greater than 2% during any 3-wk period from 2 wk of age through the end of brooding due to unknown cause. Of the 54 flocks, 24 remained healthy, 23 experienced PEMS, and 7 tested positive for TCV but did not experience PEMS. Ten flocks experienced PEMS and tested positive for TCV, whereas 13 flocks experienced PEMS and did not test positive for TCV. Four health status groups were evident: healthy, PEMS positive, TCV positive, and PEMS + TCV positive. Distinct mortality patterns were seen for each of the four health status groups. Whereas TCV was associated with PEMS in 43% of PEMS cases, 13 cases (57%) of PEMS did not involve TCV. Additionally, 7 out of 17 cases of TCV (41%) did not experience excess mortality (PEMS) at any time during brooding of the flock. The results of this study indicate that TCV can be associated with PEMS but is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause PEMS.

Animals↗

Mortality rate, causes and predictive factors of death in severely obese patients.

Several studies have investigated the relationship between obesity and mortality or cardiovascular disease (CVD) reporting conflicting results. The very few data collected on extremely obese patients have shown an increased mortality in these patients compared to the general population. Two hundred and sixtyfour (182 f, 82 m) severely obese patients (BMI greater than or equal to 35 w/h2) living in Southern Italy (hospitalized from 1972 to 1985 in our Metabolic Unit for a weight reduction program) were followed-up for a mean period of 7.1 years. Twentynine (20f, 9m) deaths were recorded during the follow-up. Higher mortality was found at all ages and in both sexes in these patients when compared to the general italian population. The excess mortality reached its peak in the age range 25-54 yrs (observed/expected mortality rate was 6.9 in females and 4.32 in males) diminishing by aging in both sexes (3.52 in females and 1.56 in males in age range 55-72 yrs). Death from CV disease was found more frequent than in the general italian population but it was unable to fully explain the excess mortality. Predictive factors of mortality were: in females age, BMI, and serum glucose and in males only age. In conclusion severely obese patients living in Southern Italy have a very high mortality rate. The excess mortality is not fully explained by cardiovascular disease.

Actuarial Analysis↗

How to prepare a life expectancy report for an attorney in a tort case.

The purpose of this methodology article is to describe a suitable format for a legally acceptable report on the life expectancy of the principal in a tort case that is being advocated or defended by an attorney. Life insurance medical directors and underwriters are clearly skilled and experienced in mortality risk classification for life insurance. However, the judicial system is accustomed to measuring excess mortality only in terms of reduced life expectancy. The analyst preparing the report must convert the excess mortality into a figure for reduced life expectancy and compare this with the life expectancy of persons matched by age, sex and race in the latest Decennial US Life Tables. This process is different from the life insurance underwriting process. A life table projected to age 109 must be constructed as an essential part of the report, and the entire process must be presented clearly and convincingly. There are good reasons why the excess death rate (EDR) should be used as the index of excess mortality in constructing the life table, in preference to the mortality ratio (MR), which is used most of the time in life insurance risk classification. All of these considerations are discussed in this article, which is based on a sample of 40 cases handled by the author, a retired life insurance medical director.

Adolescent↗

Ethnic differences in cause specific mortality among hospitalised patients with diabetes: a linkage study in New Zealand.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns of excess mortality among patients with diabetes in three ethnic groups. DESIGN: A linkage study of national hospital discharge records to death records. SETTING: New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 74 847 patients (11,268 Māori, 5730 Pacific, and 57,849 non-Māori/non-Pacific) aged over 25 years with a hospital discharge diagnosis of diabetes between 1988 and 2001. By the end of 2001, 29,295 (39%) of the cohort had died. Based on the underlying cause of death, standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) (95% confidence intervals) were calculated for each ethnic group and sex. MAIN RESULTS: Comparing the mortality patterns of patients with diabetes to the general population of the same ethnic group, adjusting for age and calendar period, all cause SMRs were higher for Māori women and men: 3.80 (95% CI: 3.64 to 3.97) and 3.44 (95%CI: 3.30 to 3.58) than for Pacific (men: 2.41 (95%CI: 2.21 to 2.61); women: 2.23 (95%CI: 2.06 to 2.41)) and non-Māori/non-Pacific (men: 2.98 (95%CI: 2.93 to 3.04); women: 2.99 (95%CI: 2.93 to 3.04)) people. SMRs were significantly raised for several causes of death, including cardiovascular disease and many site specific cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of excess mortality among Māori with diabetes may relate to severity of disease. This needs further investigation, as the excess mortality may be amenable to intervention.

Cause of Death↗

Consistency of epidemiologic estimates.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiology of a disease describes numbers of people becoming incident, being prevalent, recovering, surviving, and dying from the disease or from other causes. As a matter of accounting principle, the inflow, stock, and outflows must be compatible, and if we could observe completely every person involved, the epidemiologic estimates describing the disease would be consistent. Lack of consistency is an indicator for possible measurement error. METHODS: We examined the consistency of estimates of incidence, prevalence, and excess mortality of dementia from the Rotterdam Study. We used the incidence and excess mortality estimates to calculate with a mathematical disease model a predicted prevalence, and compared the predicted to the observed prevalence. RESULTS: Predicted prevalence is in most age groups lower than observed, and the difference between them is significant for some age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The observed discrepancy could be due to overestimates of prevalence or excess mortality, or an underestimate of incidence, or a combination of all three. We conclude from an analysis of possible causes that it is not possible to say which contributes most to the discrepancy. Estimating dementia incidence in an aging cohort presents a dilemma: with a short follow-up border-line incident cases are easily missed, and with longer follow-up measurement problems increase due to the associated aging of the cohort. Checking for consistency is a useful strategy to signal possible measurement error, but some sources of error may be impossible to avoid.

Aged↗

Long-term survival rates of patients with prostate cancer in the prostate-specific antigen screening era: population-based estimates for the year 2000 by period analysis.

PURPOSE: In the era of widespread prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening, a large proportion of older men have to live with a diagnosis of prostate cancer. In this study, we applied a new method for up-to-date analysis of long-term survival to evaluate if and to what extent these patients still have any excess mortality compared to the general population. METHODS: Five- and 10-year absolute and relative survival rates for the year 2000 were derived from the 1973 to 2000 database of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program using the recently introduced period analysis methodology. RESULTS: Overall, 5- and 10-year relative survival rates were approximately 99% and 95%; that is, excess mortality compared with the general population was as low as 1% and 5% within 5 and 10 years following diagnosis, respectively. Two-thirds of patients were diagnosed with well or moderately differentiated localized/regional prostate cancer, and among these patients, 5- and 10-year relative survival rates were above 100% (indicating the lack of any excess mortality) at all ages. CONCLUSION: While the value of PSA screening for lowering mortality due to prostate cancer remains to be shown by randomized clinical trials, the majority of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in the PSA screening era do not have excess mortality compared to the general population under current patterns of medical care. This information may be important for both clinical management of, and for patients' coping with, the disease.

Aged↗

Mortality of workers potentially exposed to organic and inorganic brominated chemicals, DBCP, TRIS, PBB, and DDT.

A historical prospective mortality study was conducted on 3579 white male workers employed between 1935 and 1976 with potential exposures to brominated compounds including 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), Tris (2,3-dibromopropyl) phosphate, polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), various organic and inorganic bromides, and DDT. The vital status as of 31 December 1976 was determined for 3384 (95%) of these workers: 2806 (79%) were still living and 578 (16%) had died. Death certificates were obtained for 541 deaths (94% of all deaths). The mortality experience of the entire cohort and several subcohorts was compared with that of United States white men adjusted for age and calendar time. The comparison statistic was the commonly used standardised mortality ratio (SMR). Historical industrial hygiene data were not available, and the workers were classified by their work areas or departments in order to estimate their potential exposures. Overall mortality for the entire cohort and several subgroups was significantly lower than expected. For the entire cohort, significant mortality deficits were observed in diseases of the circulatory system, non-malignant respiratory disease, and diseases of the digestive system. On the other hand, mortality from diabetes mellitus was significantly raised for the cohort. No significant overall or cause-specific mortality excess was detected among employees potentially exposed to either TRIS or DDT. A significant mortality excess due to diseases of the circulatory system was observed among workers potentially exposed to DBCP. Mortality from testicular cancer was significantly higher than expected among those potentially exposed to other organic bromides. The common potential exposure of those who had died of testicular cancer was methyl bromide. Owing to the lack of accurate historical exposure information and the fact that many workers were potentially exposed to a multitude of chemicals, it is difficult to draw definitive statements on the causations of the observed mortality excesses.

Arkansas↗

Unemployment and mortality among Finnish men, 1981-5.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether, after controlling for several relevant background variables simultaneously, unemployment is related to mortality and to assess whether this relation is causal or whether unhealthy people are more likely to become unemployed. DESIGN: Prospective study of mortality in Finland during 1981-5 based on 1980 census data on 30-54 year old wage earner men and with particular attention to unemployment in the year before the census. SETTING: Research project at the University of Helsinki. SUBJECTS: All wage earner men in Finland aged 30-54 at the 1980 census. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Causes of death during 1981-5 and duration of unemployment in the year before the census. Background variables controlled for were age, socioeconomic state, marital state, and health. The data were analysed by log linear regression models. RESULTS: During the study period 1981-5, which covered almost 2.7 million person years, there were 9810 deaths. After controlling for all background variables relative total mortality among unemployed versus employed men was 1.93 (95% confidence interval 1.82 to 2.05). The excess mortality was highest in accidental and violent causes of death (relative mortality 2.51; 95% confidence interval 2.28 to 2.76). For circulatory diseases the relative death rate was 1.54 (95% confidence interval 1.40 to 1.70), but among neoplasms only lung cancer was associated with excess mortality. Selection for unemployment based on age, socioeconomic state, and marital state was evident but no such selection was detected based on health. Effects of unemployment on mortality were more pronounced with increasing duration of unemployment. CONCLUSIONS: The relative excess mortality of unemployed men in Finland cannot fully be explained by demographic, social, and health variables preceding unemployment. Unemployment therefore seems to have an independent causal effect on male mortality. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms between unemployment and mortality.

Adult↗

Heat wave 2003 and mortality in Switzerland.

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: During June to August 2003, high temperatures were reported across Europe including Switzerland. In many European countries, particularly in France the heat wave was associated with an increase in mortality. This is the first analysis investigating whether the high temperatures during summer 2003 in Switzerland had a measurable impact on mortality. METHODS: Daily data on all-cause mortality for the period January 1990 to December 2003, and meteorological data from 20 different stations for the same period were analysed. Excess mortality for different age groups, gender and geographic regions was calculated. Daily mortality and temperature in 2003 was correlated with lags of temperature up to 7 days. RESULTS: An estimated 7% increase in all cause mortality occurred during June to August 2003. Excess mortality was limited to the region north of the Alps, to inhabitants of cities and suburban areas and was more pronounced among the elderly and the inhabitants of Basel, Geneva and Lausanne. North of the Alps, deviations in daily mortality were significantly correlated with deviations in maximum daily temperatures and night temperatures. The combination of day temperature above 35 degrees C and night temperatures above 20 degrees C predominantly occurred in Basel and Geneva and might in part explain the regional differences in excess mortality. CONCLUSIONS: As the number of elderly people in Switzerland continues to rise and the occurrence of heat waves is predicted to increase as a consequence of global warming, preventive programmes targeting susceptible populations during heat waves are warranted.

Adult↗

Long-term survival of women with breast cancer in New South Wales.

Several long-term studies of breast cancer survival have shown continued excess mortality from breast cancer up to 20-40 years following treatment. The purpose of this report was to investigate temporal trends in long-term survival from breast cancer in all New South Wales (NSW) women. Breast cancer cases incident in 1972-1996 (54,228) were derived from the NSW Central Cancer Registry-a population-based registry which began in 1972. All cases of breast cancer not known to be dead were matched against death records. The expected survival for NSW women was derived from published annual life tables. Relative survival analysis compared the survival of cancer cases with the age, sex and period matched mortality of the total population. Cases were considered alive at the end of 1996, except when known to be dead. Proportional hazards regression was employed to model survival on age, period and degree of spread at diagnosis. Survival at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of follow-up was 76 per cent, 65 per cent, 60 per cent, 57 per cent and 56 per cent. The annual hazard rate for excess mortality was 4.3 per cent in year 1, maximal at 6.5 per cent in year 3, declining to 4.7 per cent in year 5, 2.7 per cent in year 10, 1.4 per cent in year 15, 1.0 per cent for years 16-20, and 0.4 per cent for years 20-25 of follow-up. Relative survival was highest in 40-49 year-olds. Cases diagnosed most recently (1992-1996) had the highest survival, compared with cases diagnosed in previous periods. Five-year survival improved over time, especially from the late 1980s for women in the screening age group (50-69 years). Survival was highest for those with localised cancer at diagnosis: 88.4 per cent, 79.1 per cent, 74.6 per cent, 72.7 per cent and 72.8 per cent at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years follow-up (excluding those aged >or=70 years). There was no significant difference between the survival of the breast cancer cases and the general population at 20-25 years follow-up. Degree of spread was less predictive of survival 5-20 years after diagnosis, compared with 0-5 years after diagnosis, and was not significant at 20-25 years of follow-up. Relative survival from breast cancer in NSW women continues to decrease to 25 years after diagnosis, but there is little excess mortality after 15 years follow-up, especially for those with localised cancer at diagnosis, and the minimal excess mortality at 20-25 years of follow-up is not statistically significant.

Adolescent↗

Recognition of historic influenza epidemics from parish burial records: a test of prediction from a new hypothesis of influenzal epidemiology.

On the current conception of the epidemiology of epidemic influenza, as caused by a mechanism of direct spread of the virus from the sick, epidemics must have travelled much more slowly in former times than at present. In contrast, a new hypothesis involving virus latency with seasonal reactivation predicts that in previous centuries influenza epidemics would have spread across the country at much the same speed as in the twentieth century. The study of burial registers in Gloucestershire parishes reported in this paper shows that lethal influenza epidemics at least as early as the sixteenth century can be recognized and dated as at present by the characteristic brief but large excess mortality that they cause. Examples are given showing that the character of the excess mortality caused by lethal influenza has not changed significantly over the centuries, a finding that supports the prediction of the new hypothesis but would not be expected on the current conception of influenzal epidemiology. In each century, influenzal excess mortalities in Gloucestershire parishes coincided with the date of the relevant influenza epidemic as recorded from widely different parts of Britain, thus further supporting the prediction of the new hypothesis as against current conceptions.

Burial↗

Diagnosis-specific mortality. Primary unipolar depression and Briquet's syndrome (somatization disorder).

A 42-year follow-up of 76 women with Briquet's syndrome revealed no evidence of excess mortality. A carefully matched group of patients with primary unipolar depression had excess mortality in comparison both with the Briquet's syndrome group and with the Iowa population. Although one of the 30 patients with Briquet's syndrome with available death certificates died by suicide, the rate of death due to unnatural causes in the Briquet's syndrome group was not greater than that predicted by relevant population figures. These findings suggest that some psychiatric illnesses involve excess mortality while others do not. Reasons for this excess likewise may vary by diagnosis.

Adolescent↗

[Health effects of extreme heat--an example of the heat wave and mortality in Frankfurt am Main in August 2003].

UNLABELLED: An extreme heat wave in August 2003 had caused thousands of deaths all over Europe. Suitable prevention measures were demanded. The heat-associated mortality in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany, in summer 2003 is here analysed and published. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Death certificates issued in Frankfurt from June 1 (st) to August 31 (st) 2003 were checked with regard to sex, age, domestic situation and diagnosis. Mortality was compared to the daily temperature (mean, maximum, minimum temperature), measured online in Frankfurt by the Hessische Landesamt fur Umwelt und Geologie. RESULTS: In August 2003 there had been a heat wave in Europe with extreme temperatures. In Frankfurt, Germany, from 3 (rd) to 12 (th) August, maximum temperatures were constantly exceeding 35 degrees C, minimum temperatures being constantly above 21 degrees C. The death certificates of 1,487 deceased were analysed, 656 men and 831 women. In June, mortality was 14/day with a maximum of 21/day. From August 6 (th) onwards daily mortality increased sharply to a maximum of 51/day on August 13 (th). Mean daily mortality in August increased to 20.4/d, with regard to the first half of August up to 27.6/d. Excess mortality during this heat wave in Frankfurt was about 200 persons, about 100 living in old-age pensioners homes and about 100 living in their private homes. Excess mortality increased with age: compared to mean mortality in June/July 2003, in the first half of August excess in mortality was 66 % for persons 60 - 70 years old, 100 % for persons 70 - 80 year old, 128 % in the age group 80 - 90 years and 146 % in persons more than 90 years old. DISCUSSION: Our data demonstrate that there is a high risk of excess mortality among the elderly population during heat waves, also in Germany. Persons living in old-age pensioners homes are at risk as well as persons living in their private homes. Therefore prevention must be prepared by the public health services not only for those living in nursing homes but for those living in private homes as well.

Age Distribution↗

General and specific mortality among the elderly during the 2003 heat wave in Genoa (Italy).

The effects of heat waves on health can be serious for elderly persons, especially those in urban areas. We investigated in-depth the mortality excess during the 2003 heat wave among elderly persons (>74 years) in the City of Genoa (Italy). The excess in general mortality was calculated for the period July 16-August 31, as the ratio of observed to expected deaths. To evaluate "harvesting", we compared observed and expected mortality in the period September 2003-April 2004. We also studied the relationship between mortality and climatic conditions considering daily maximum temperature and Humidex discomfort degrees, as well as "lag-time". For cause-specific mortality, we considered all pathologies reported on the death certificate. The excess in general mortality was significant and was greatest in the first half of August. During Summer 2003, in Genoa the climatic conditions (described in terms of maximum temperature and Humidex Index) were extremely hot; regarding lag-time, the greatest correlation between the number of observed deaths and the maximum temperature values was observed for the three preceding days (rho=0.568; significance level<0.01). The prominent causes of death, for which an excess was observed, were cerebrovascular diseases, severe respiratory diseases, severe renal diseases, dementia; moreover, certain pathologic conditions and symptoms, usually not lethal, were also frequent causes of death (e.g., hypovolemia, hyperpyrexia, decubitus ulcers and immobilization syndrome). The results of this study confirm the relationship between the heat waves and death among elderly, stressing that, because of their poorer physical health and the prevalence of cognitive disturbances that hinder risk perception, it is necessary to properly care for them during heat waves.

Aged↗

Mortality in concurrent type 1 diabetes and anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies in this field report early occurrence of diabetic complications, but excess mortality, though expectable, has not been reported. We combined information from earlier studies to estimate the mortality for this group of patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The observed mortality is analyzed using crude mortality rate (a percentage), standardized mortality ratio (SMR), incidence rate ratio, risk difference, and survival analysis. RESULTS: After approximately 10 years of follow-up, 13 of 510 females with type 1 diabetes, 43 of 658 females with anorexia nervosa (AN), and 8 of 23 concurrent case subjects had died. Mortality rate was 2.2 (per 1,000 person-years) for type 1 diabetes, 7.3 for AN cases, and 34.6 for concurrent cases. Crude mortality rates were 2.5, 6.5, and 34.8%, respectively. SMR was 4.06 in type 1 diabetes, 8.86 in AN, and 14.5 in concurrent cases. Survival analysis indicated between-group differences in mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Concurrent type 1 diabetes and AN is a rare but serious condition in females. All indexes of mortality evidence excess mortality in this preliminary study. Vigorous and well-directed treatment efforts seem vital for this subpopulation. Collaboration between diabetologists and eating disorder specialists is warranted. The implications of other eating disorders and subclinical eating disorders in diabetic populations need to be analyzed, especially because these conditions are more frequent than clinical eating disorders.

Adolescent↗

Factors associated with mortality after hip fracture.

There is a well-known excess mortality subsequent to hip fracture, which is probably restricted to subgroups of hip fracture patients with reduced health status. We studied the association between risk factors and death in 248 hip fracture patients and 248 controls originally enrolled in a population-based case-control study. This cohort was followed for 3 1/2 years with respect to total mortality. A markedly increased mortality was found in hip fracture patients passing a mental status test at a low score [relative risk (RR) = 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-3.7], in hip fracture patients reporting two or more selected chronic diseases (RR = 3.3, 95% CI 1.8-6.1), in hip fracture patients not walking outdoors before the fracture (RR = 3.2, 95% CI 2.0-5.1) and in hip fracture patients in the lower half of handgrip strength distribution (RR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.6-3.4), all compared with the control group. In contrast, hip fracture patients without these risk factors did not have increased mortality compared with the control group. This study suggests that otherwise healthy and fit patients do not have increased mortality subsequent to hip fracture. The excess mortality is restricted to persons with reduced mental status, reduced somatic health and low physical ability. Special attention should be paid to patients with such risk factors in the treatment and rehabilitation period.

Aged↗

A study of the "crossover population": aged persons entitled to both Medicare and Medicaid.

This study focused on persons 65 years of age and over who were dually entitled to Medicare and Medicaid in 1978. The paper examines their age, sex, and race characteristics, and their Medicare utilization and mortality rates in comparison to persons eligible for Medicare only. The study showed that the group entitled to both Medicare and Medicaid was relatively much older than those with Medicare only, with a mean age of 76.6 years compared to 73.6 years. In the group entitled to both Medicare and Medicaid, the proportion of persons of minority races was four times as great as the proportion in the remaining population. Nevertheless, nearly three out of four persons entitled to both programs were white. In the group with dual eligibility, 71 percent were women, compared to only 59 percent in the Medicare-only population. Thus, the dually covered group may be characterized as being relatively older than other Medicare enrollees, largely composed of white persons and women, and as having a higher proportion of minority persons than the general population. The study showed that a much higher proportion of dually entitled persons were users of the Medicare program than were persons eligible for Medicare only. On a per-enrollee basis, reimbursement was substantially higher for those dually eligible. The study also found differences in the diagnostic conditions of the dually entitled. The data indicate (after being standardized for age) that the death rate was 50 percent higher for the dually entitled. This difference in mortality is partly attributable to the relatively high mortality rates for the medically needy; nonetheless, the mortality rate for the dually entitled who also received cash assistance was 20 percent higher than those for other Medicare enrollees. The excess mortality among this group was notably higher for the age group 65-69, with a 50 percent excess mortality, and for the age group 70-79, the excess mortality was 30 percent. Thus, the dually entitled, in general, experience higher mortality rates than those with Medicare only, and that fact very likely explains to a large extent the higher utilization rates found for the dually entitled in this study. The paper concludes by raising some possible consequences of either Medicare or Medicaid coverage being altered or tightened.

Aged↗

[Female mortality and occupational activity in France (a comparison, 1975-1982)].

The study of the relationship between occupation and health in 1975, indicated a high excess mortality among inactive females. The decline of mortality and the increase in the number of working women recorded recently, have not changed the thrust of the relation. The analysis of the 1982 data shows a rise in the excess mortality of inactives, caused by an increase of the selection effect. The study of the mortality taking into account the marital status shows that it is the transition to working status of many married--therefore preselected--women that has increased the differences in the state of health between active and inactive women. The excess mortality of inactive women varies with the cause of death and it appears that the selection effect is stronger when death is caused by a chronic or slowly developing disease, and weaker when it is due to an accident or a cancer.

Adult↗