|
Very Elderly Have Eluded
Many Major Disease Killers
NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - Those hardy individuals who
make it to the 100-year mark have essentially "outlived" the major
causes of death in the general population, including most of the
diseases for which lifestyle plays a vital role, according to
US researchers.
Their review of Minnesota death certificates
for 1998 found that after age 70, deaths from heart attack, cancer,
diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease declined with
age. Heart attack, for example, killed about 7% of individuals
who died in their 70s or 80s, but only just over 2% of centenarians.
Dr. Charles E. Gessert and colleagues
at St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System reported the findings
in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Many centenarians, the researchers
found, died of what is often seen as "old age." Death certificates
indicated that 13% had died of "unknown" or "ill-defined" conditions,
and 5% of "senility."
In addition, chronic, progressive
diseases, such as congestive heart failure and neurological and
mental conditions overall, became more common causes of death
as people aged.
The researchers point out that lifestyle
factors like smoking, diet and exercise, as well as environmental
exposures, are known to promote many of the diseases that kill
relatively younger individuals.
"The finding that many behaviorally/environmentally
mediated conditions are rare causes of death in those who survive
into their 90s and beyond invites the conclusion that one can
'outlive' the risk of death from such conditions," Gessert's team
writes.
However, they note, the idea that
someone has "died of old age" does not mean the person died without
illness or disability. At a certain point, according to the researchers,
it becomes hard "and perhaps meaningless" to distinguish between
chronic disease and the frailty that comes with age.
Overall, centenarians accounted for
just under 2% of deaths among people age 70 and older, according
to the report. More than 83% of centenarians were women.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society 2002;50:1561-1565.
Reference
Source 89
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
|
