The relationship of serum albumin at baseline to mortality, and longitudinal changes of serum albumin were investigated in a 10-year longitudinal study of 421 (197 men, 224 women) community residents aged 69-71. The 10-year survival rate was the lowest in the first quartile of serum albumin at baseline, followed by the second quartile, and third and fourth quartiles (p < 0.05). In both sexes, 10-year survival curves did not differ between the group with diseases or disabilities at baseline or over time and the group without them.