5 m/s) and slower-walking (<0.5 m/s) subcohort; the latter also included habitually nonwalking participants. Body mass index was calculated by dividing weight (in kilograms) by the square of height (in meters). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognition on a scale of 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better cognitive function.22 Dependency in activities of daily living (ADLs) was assessed using the Barthel ADL Index on a scale of 0 to 20, with a score of 20 indicating total independence

in personal ADLs.23 Information on participants’ medical history and drug prescriptions was collected during interviews and verified using medical records. Diagnoses of dementia, depression, and angina pectoris were based on previous diagnoses and current drug prescription. SCH772984 order Assessment scores also were applied to diagnose dementia and depression according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition, criteria. 24 A specialist in geriatric medicine reviewed and confirmed all diagnoses. A covariate of all BP-lowering drugs was defined to include prescriptions

of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta-blockers (excluding eye drops), calcium channel blockers, diuretics (except in patients see more with concurrent heart failure), and other BP-lowering drugs, irrespective of indication. Differences in 5-year mortality and gait speed subcohorts according to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were assessed using Student t-test and Pearson χ2 test. Differences in 5-year mortality according

to age (85, 90, and ≥95 years) and gait speed groups (slower- and faster-walking, habitually nonwalking, and excluded nonwalking) were examined using the Pearson χ2 test. Differences in mean gait speed, systolic BP, and diastolic BP according to age and gait speed groups were assessed using 1-way analyses of variance. Correlations were tested between all baseline covariates, and the ADL score covariate was removed from the analyses due to strong ADAMTS5 (r > 0.6) correlations with the care facility residency, MMSE score, diagnosis of dementia, and gait speed covariates. The diagnosis of dementia covariate was removed due to strong correlation with MMSE score. The antidepressant prescription covariate was removed to reduce the risk of an overlapping effect with the diagnosis of depression covariate. Associations between all-cause mortality and categorized systolic and diastolic BP, respectively, were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression models. In the total sample, model 1 was adjusted for age and sex, and model 2 was adjusted for age, sex, and all baseline variables from Table 1 associated with mortality at a significance level of P ≤ .15 in univariate analyses. Proportionality of hazards was tested using Schoenfeld residuals.