 | Data integration and knowledge discovery in biomedical databases. Reliable information from unreliable sources
|
| | 1) Dept of Medicine, Dalhousie University
2) Dept of Computer Science, Dalhousie University |
| Abstract
To better understand information about human health from databases we analyzed three datasets collected for different purposes in Canada: a biomedical database of older adults, a large population survey across all adult ages, and vital statistics. Redundancy in the variables was established, and this led us to derive a generalized (macroscopic state) variable, being a fitness/frailty index that reflects both individual and group health status. Evaluation of the relationship between fitness/frailty and the mortality rate revealed that the latter could be expressed in terms of variables generally available from any cross-sectional database. In practical terms, this means that the risk of mortality might readily be assessed from standard biomedical appraisals collected for other purposes. |
| | | |
