Associations of weight loss, low serum albumin, and their combination with mortality risk in older adults receiving home medical care

This study aimed to examine the associations of weight loss, low serum albumin levels, and their combination with 2-year mortality risk in older adults receiving home medical care. Participants from the Osaka Home Care Registry Study aged 65 or older were classified into two groups: low and high baseline serum albumin levels, and stratified into those with 5% weight loss and weight maintenance after 1 year. Low serum albumin and weight loss were present in 21.8% and 20.8% of participants, respectively. In multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis, combinations involving low serum albumin were significantly associated with mortality. Participants with weight maintenance and low serum albumin (HR = 6.89, 95%CI = 2.06–23.02) and those with weight loss and low serum albumin (HR = 19.06, 95%CI = 4.42–82.14) had a higher mortality risk, whereas weight loss alone was not significant. These findings suggest that evaluating serum albumin together with weight change may help identify high-risk individuals in home medical care.