[Functional limitation and survival of community dwelling elderly].

Objective: The present study aims to analyze the functional limitation as risk factor of death of elderly dwelling in a community and its relationship with socio-demographic, physical health and neuropsychiatric related factors.
Methods: A prospective study was carried out in the city of Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. A total of 310 randomly selected elderly formed the baseline (63.5% women, 73.7+/-9.03 years). The Katz Index was used to evaluate the functional capacity for basic activities of daily living. The follow-up period was of 53 months. The statistical methods used were bivariate analysis (Pearson's chi-square), survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meyer method, followed by Cox regression in multivariate analysis, with the respective hazards ratios (HR).
Results: A total of 60 elderly (20.5%) died during the study follow-up; the main cause of death was cardiovascular disease. The mean survival time was of about 24.8 months, and the main risk factors identified at Cox regression were cognitive deficit (HR= 4.30) and stroke (HR= 3.49) besides the dependence for the basic activities of daily living (HR = 3.17).
Conclusion: The functional limitation was an independent risk factor for death.