378 patients over 65 years old were reviewed, who were admitted during the period from June 1. 1985 to December 31. 1988 in the Department of Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital.
The results were as followings：
1. The rate of patients over 65 years to all who were admitted during same period was 11.3％.
2. The number of male patients was 183, that of female 195, the overall ratio of male to female being 1：1.07. In benign diseases, that was 1：0.95, and in malignant diseases 1：1.26.
3. Hemoglobin value at admission was below 10.0 gm％ in 7.5％ of patients with benign diseases and in 15.0％ of patients with malignant diseases.
4. Serum albumin at admission was below 3.5 gm％ in 60％ of patients with benign diseases and in 50％ of patients with malignant diseases.
5. As to the distribution of benign diseases, disease in biliary system was most frequent (33％), followed by appendicitis (25％), ileus and trauma in jejunum and ileum (13％), and peptic ulcer (6％ ) in the order of frequency.
6. As to the distribution of malignant diseases, stomach cancer (51％) was most frequent, followed by colorectal cancer (25％), and hepatobiliary cancer (10％) in the order of frequency.
7. 47％ of patients with benign diseases and 44％ of that with malignant diseases had associated diseases, among which hypertension was most frequent, followed by lung disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, liver disease and renal disease in the order of frequency.
8. Complications were most prevalent in the patients with hepatobiliary diseases, followed by appendicitis and colorectal cancer, and among complications, wound infection was most frequent, followed by urinary tract infection and respiratory infection in the order of freguency. In the patients with colorectal cancer, mechanical ileus was second frequent complication after wound infection.
9. The mortality rate was highest in the patient with colorectal cancer (22.2％), followed by in those with benign biliary disease (10％), overall mortality rate being 4.3％.
10. Major causes of deaths were sepsis, respiratory failure, bile peritonitis and renal failure.
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