Is comorbidity a better predictor of impaired immunity than chronological age in older adults?
This study demonstrates that the level of comorbidity correlates with the magnitude of immune response in older adults and suggests that the CIRS could be used to determine the magnitude of impaired immunity in older adults with different specific illnesses and different levels of severity.
Differences in the use of recommended therapies by physician specialty are generally small and do not explain differences in patient outcome. In comparison, differences among patients treated by physicians of various specialties (case mix) have a large impact on patient outcome and may account for the residual survival advantage of patients treated by cardiologists. With the exception of the in-hospital use of aspirin, recommended MI therapies are markedly underused, regardless of the specialty of the physician.