[Hospitalization of the elderly in a department of internal medicine. Predictive elements of risk and benefit].

One hundred and thirty patients over 70 years have been examined in a prospective way, so as to determine pernicious and benefic effects of hospitalization in elderly people. Deaths appear to be more frequent in old male patients, with a high cultural level on one hand, and a "reduced" independence, on the other hand (according to the "Sandoz clinical assessment of geriatrics scale"). Benefic effects appear to be essentially dependent on primary diagnosis, and on the entourage, as well as on the previous medical care, though less important.