Shannon CM, Ballew SH, Daya N, et al. - This study attempted to ascertain if lower serum albumin in community-dwelling, older adults is associated with an elevated risk of hospitalization and death independent of pre-existing disease. Researchers designed a prospective cohort study of participants in the fifth visit of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. They obtained baseline data from 2011 to 2013. The study enrolled a total of 4,947 community-dwelling men and women aged 66 to 90 years. The results showed that the lower baseline serum albumin was significantly correlated with elevated risk of both all-cause hospitalization and death, independent of pre-existing disease. According to the findings, older adults with low serum albumin should be considered a high-risk population and targeted for interventions to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes.