Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death worldwide, and a major cause for disability and mortality in older people. Laboratory parameters can be of aid in predicting cardiovascular events and mortality. Indexes that combine different parameters can help in risk prediction. Many previous indexes include a large number of clinical and/or laboratory parameters, which complicates their use in clinical practice.

Aims: The aim of the thesis was to study how a combination of routine laboratory parameters can be used to estimate an older individual’s risk for institutionalization and mortality. Also, the aim was to study how cardiac markers troponin T (cTnT) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) can estimate both cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality, and how the concentrations of these markers change with ageing.

Results: Older people’s mortality could be predicted with fourteen routine laboratory parameters, or a combination of six clinical and three laboratory parameters. Laboratory parameters could not predict institutionalization, but it could be predicted with three clinical parameters. Elevated concentrations of cTnT and proBNP both predict cardiac events, and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, but their concentrations rise with normal ageing as well.

Conclusions: Only a small number of routine laboratory parameters as well as cTnT and proBNP above age-adjusted reference limits help to predict mortality in older people. On the contrary, institutionalization is associated with clinical parameters which reflect difficulties of activities in daily living.