To evaluate the health status of the aged in rural area, 476 men and women of 65 years old and older among the residents of Gunwee County in Kyungpook were examined at the county health center between 4th and 22nd of June, 1984. Physical examination included measuring height, weight, chest circumference and blood pressure and chest x-ray. Laboratory tests were done for serum cholesterol, glucose and GOT, and urine glucose and protein.
The mean heights of male and female were 160±7.0 cm and 147.7 ±6.9cm, respectively. The height decreased as the age increased. The mean body weight of male was 53.5±7.8kg and 46.7±7.5kg for female and the older, the eighteen. The mean chest circumference of male was 85.4±7.5cm and 79.5±7.9cm for female and it had no remarkable differences by age group.
The average height, body weight, chest circumference, and serum cholesterol level of the age 65 years and older in rural area were lower than the standard this may be due to under nutrition of the aged.
The mean diastolic and Systolic blood pressure of male were 75.9±13.5mmHg/126.3±24.1mmHg and those for female were 73.1±13.9 mmHg/125.8±32.4 mmHg. Both male and female in the age group of 65 -69 years showed the lowest mean blood pressure. Among the study population 18.3% the borderline hypertension and 14.3% had hypertension.
Average hemoglobin level of the male(12-5±0.8g/dl) was higher than that of the female(11.6±0.8g/dl) (p<0.01). Mean serum G.O.T. level was 25.2±8.7 IU for male and 23.6±7.5 IU for female and all of the study population were within the normal range. Mean serum glucose level was 110.4±16.0mg/dl for the male and 110.5±15.7mg/dl for the female and 41.4 % of the study population were above the normal limit of serum glucose level. However, there was only one person she had glycosuria. Hyperglycemia could be due to non-fasting before the test.
Two of the study population had proteinuria and five persons (1.05%) were diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis by the chest x-ray.
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