Recently published
Mortality Among Centenarians in the United States, 2000-2014.
Xu J.
NCHS Data Brief. 2016 Jan;(233):1-8.
PMID: 26828422 Free Article
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db233.htmKey findings
Data from the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality
Death rates for centenarians increased from 2000 through 2008 and then decreased through 2014 for both males and females.
Death rates for centenarians increased from 2000 through 2006 for the Hispanic population and from 2000 through 2008 for the non-Hispanic white and black populations, and subsequently decreased through 2014 for all racial and ethnic groups examined.
The top five causes of death among centenarians in 2014 were heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer, and influenza and pneumonia.
Death rates for Alzheimer’s disease increased 119% between 2000 and 2014 among centenarians.
The population of the United States is aging. Although centenarians are still uncommon, the numbers of Americans aged 100 and over increased 43.6%, from 50,281 in 2000 to 72,197 in 2014 (1,2). As the number of centenarians increases, so does the number of deaths in this age group (3). National Vital Statistics System mortality data filed by the 50 states and the District of Columbia for years 2000 through 2014 were analyzed to determine the number of deaths, age-specific death rates by race and ethnicity, and sex-specific leading causes of death among centenarians.
And a few more from a few years back
Autopsy reports in extreme longevity.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2010 Jan-Feb;50(1):48-50.
doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2009.01.008. Epub 2009 Mar 13.
PMID: 19285737
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19285737Abstract
This study aimed at establishing the prevalence, the type, the severity of various diseases, as well as the main causes of death in the elderly and ultralongevous subjects. The autopsy findings of 140 centenarians (21 males and 119 females) of the age range of 100-109 years were compared to those of 96 elderly subjects (14 males and 82 females) of the age range of 75-95 years. In all cases the clinical diagnosis, the clinical record, the macro- and microscopic findings and the autopsy protocols were evaluated. A lower prevalence (16.3% vs. 39.0%), as well as a slower and less aggressive evolution of neoplastic pathologies (frequency of metastases: 26.0% vs. 55.0%) in the centenarians, as compared to the general aging population, have been found. The chronic-degenerative pathologies, especially the cerebro-degenerative ones were observed more frequently and were of major gravity in the centenarians, compared to the elderly population. The cerebrovascular damage and the consequent cognitive deficit do not influence the survival of the longevous subjects. Intercurrent events or external accidents may interrupt the weak equilibrium of these "frail" subjects.
Do centenarians die healthy? An autopsy study.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Jul;60(7):862-5.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16079208Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Our goal was to assess the prevalence of common causes of death and the demographic variables in a selected population of centenarians.
METHODS:
The autopsy reports and medical histories of all individuals > or =100 years, dying unexpectedly out of hospital, were gathered from 42,398 consecutive autopsies, performed over a period of 18 years at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Vienna. These records were evaluated with regard to age and sex, circumstances of death, season, time and the cause of death, as well as the presence of any other comorbidity.
RESULTS:
Forty centenarians (11 men, 29 women) were identified with a median age of 102 +/- 2.0 (range: 100-108) years. Sixty percent were described as having been healthy before death. However, an acute organic failure causing death was found in 100%, including cardiovascular diseases in 68%, respiratory illnesses in 25%, gastrointestinal disorders in 5%, and cerebrovascular disease in 2%. Additionally, centenarians suffered from several comorbidities (cardiac antecedents, neurologic disorders, liver diseases, cholecystolithiasis), which were not judged to be the cause of death.
CONCLUSIONS:
Centenarians, though perceived to have been healthy just prior to death, succumbed to diseases in 100% of the cases examined. They did not die merely "of old age." The 100% post mortem diagnosis of death as a result of acute organic failure justifies autopsy as a legal requirement for this clinically difficult age group.
PMID: 16079208
Hope that helps
Jeff