[A comparative study of the health conditions of elderly people living alone, elderly couples and the bedridden elderly at home in a rural area of Shiga Prefecture: special reference to morbidity rate and blood pressure, electrocardiograph and blood examination data].

For the purpose of obtaining basic data and for establishing a support system for elderly people with various health and social problems, a population survey was performed in 1990 to investigate the health and living conditions of elderly people living alone, elderly couples and the bedridden elderly in the town of Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture. A total of 275 subjects (103 male, 172 female) 65 years of age and over were surveyed. The participation rate in this survey was 88.1%. Analysis of health conditions (morbidity rate, blood pressure, electrocardiograph and blood examination data) of elderly people living alone, elderly couples and the bedridden elderly produced the following: 1) Stroke was the main cause of being bedridden in men, while in women, bone and joint disease, especially fracture, was the main cause. 2) The combined prevalence of hypertension and borderline hypertension in elderly people living alone, elderly couples and the bedridden elderly was over 50%. The bedridden elderly had a lower prevalence than elderly people living alone and elderly couples. 3) Men in all of the above mentioned life styles, had a higher tendency of showing ECG abnormalities than women. The tendency for major ECG abnormalities was high for bedridden elderly, both male and female, with the tendency for men being higher. 4) In bedridden elderly, a tendency of higher prevalence of anemia, in both male and females, lower total serum cholesterol and triglyceride in males compared to elderly people living alone and in elderly couples, was observed.