More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060214/ap_on_he_me/mortality_test;_ylt=AqckwPwpi_9UMHyV3p.Y7XcDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUlTest Helps You Predict Chances of Dying
By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
Tue Feb 14, 6:23 PM ET
CHICAGO - It sounds like a perfect parlor game for baby boomers suddenly confronting their own mortality: What are your chances of dying within four years? Researchers have come up with 12 risk factors to try to answer that for people who are 50 and older.
This is one game where you want a low score. Zero to 5 points says your risk of dying in four years is less than 4 percent. With 14 points, your risk rises to 64 percent.
Just being male gives you 2 points. So does having diabetes, being a smoker, and getting pooped trying to walk several blocks.