Abstract
BACKGROUND: To examine the predictive value of the Timed Up and Go test (TUGT) for five-year mortality among older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Beijing Hospital in China from September 2018 to April 2019, with a follow-up period of 5 years. Patients underwent the TUGT at baseline and were categorized into two groups based on the subsequent results: Group 1 (TUGT >15 s) and Group 2 (TUGT ≤15 s). The primary outcome of the study was all-cause mortality over five years. RESULTS: The study included 491 older patients from the cardiology ward (average age 74.83 ± 6.38 years; 50.92% male). A total of 69 patients (14.05%) died over the five-year follow-up period. Patients in Group 1 were significantly older (78.36 ± 6.39 vs. 73.47 ± 5.83; p < 0.001) and exhibited higher prevalence rates of heart failure (HF) (21.17% vs. 11.86%; p = 0.009) and stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) (24.09% vs. 12.15%; p = 0.001) compared to those in Group 2. After adjusting for covariates, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a TUGT >15 s in CVD patients was significantly associated with an elevated hazard ratio for five-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR): 2.029; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.198-3.437; p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The TUGT is independently associated with 5-year all-cause mortality among older patients with CVD, with a TUGT >15 s indicating a poorer prognosis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR1800017204; date of registration: 07/18/2018. URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=28931.