Preventing suicide

results were obtained for survival up to six months.The analysis was repeated for specific age groups: women aged 60-69 had a worse chance of survival to six months (P<003) but not to two years (P> 0075).No difference was found in either the younger or the older age groups.1.00 40-49 50-59 60-69 o .0cL 0.50 70-79 '.) 0.25 Men Women 0O O 16o 200 300 400 500 600 700 Time after infarction (days)Age specific Kaplan-Meier survival curves in men and women with acute myocardial infarction in first two years after admission to hospital (P>0 44)These Scottish data suggest that the poorer survival of women may be attributed to the different age distributions of the men and women admitted to hospital.The use of statistical methods that adjust for age across whole populations may, however, disguise differences in particular age groups' experience of disease.