So, what are we going to die of then? :)

A place to get your questions answered from McDougall staff dietitian, Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.

Moderators: JeffN, carolve, Heather McDougall

So, what are we going to die of then? :)

Postby Doug_ » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:32 pm

If we are unlikely to get a heart attack, and less likely to get most cancers, are we going to all meet our maker after hoverboard jetpack collisions in 2090?
Doug_
 
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:23 am

Re: So, what are we going to die of then? :)

Postby JeffN » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:39 pm

This may help...

Place and Cause of Death in Centenarians: A Population-Based Observational Study in England, 2001 to 2010
Catherine J. Evans , Yuen Ho, Barbara A. Daveson, Sue Hall, Irene J. Higginson, Wei Gao, on behalf of the GUIDE_Care project
Published: June 3, 2014https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001653

http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/a ... ed.1001653

Abstract

Background

Centenarians are a rapidly growing demographic group worldwide, yet their health and social care needs are seldom considered. This study aims to examine trends in place of death and associations for centenarians in England over 10 years to consider policy implications of extreme longevity.

Methods and Findings

This is a population-based observational study using death registration data linked with area-level indices of multiple deprivations for people aged ≥100 years who died 2001 to 2010 in England, compared with those dying at ages 80-99. We used linear regression to examine the time trends in number of deaths and place of death, and Poisson regression to evaluate factors associated with centenarians’ place of death. The cohort totalled 35,867 people with a median age at death of 101 years (range: 100–115 years). Centenarian deaths increased 56% (95% CI 53.8%–57.4%) in 10 years. Most died in a care home with (26.7%, 95% CI 26.3%–27.2%) or without nursing (34.5%, 95% CI 34.0%–35.0%) or in hospital (27.2%, 95% CI 26.7%–27.6%). The proportion of deaths in nursing homes decreased over 10 years (−0.36% annually, 95% CI −0.63% to −0.09%, p = 0.014), while hospital deaths changed little (0.25% annually, 95% CI −0.06% to 0.57%, p = 0.09). Dying with frailty was common with “old age” stated in 75.6% of death certifications. Centenarians were more likely to die of pneumonia (e.g., 17.7% [95% CI 17.3%–18.1%] versus 6.0% [5.9%–6.0%] for those aged 80–84 years) and old age/frailty (28.1% [27.6%–28.5%] versus 0.9% [0.9%–0.9%] for those aged 80–84 years) and less likely to die of cancer (4.4% [4.2%–4.6%] versus 24.5% [24.6%–25.4%] for those aged 80–84 years) and ischemic heart disease (8.6% [8.3%–8.9%] versus 19.0% [18.9%–19.0%] for those aged 80–84 years) than were younger elderly patients. More care home beds available per 1,000 population were associated with fewer deaths in hospital (PR 0.98, 95% CI 0.98–0.99, p<0.001).

Conclusions

Centenarians are more likely to have causes of death certified as pneumonia and frailty and less likely to have causes of death of cancer or ischemic heart disease, compared with younger elderly patients. To reduce reliance on hospital care at the end of life requires recognition of centenarians’ increased likelihood to “acute” decline, notably from pneumonia, and wider provision of anticipatory care to enable people to remain in their usual residence, and increasing care home bed capacity.

In Health
Jeff
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: So, what are we going to die of then? :)

Postby JeffN » Tue Feb 16, 2016 2:45 pm

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.htm

Key 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/19285737

Abstract
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/16079208

Abstract

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
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: So, what are we going to die of then? :)

Postby JeffN » Wed May 27, 2020 12:00 pm

Do Centenarians Die Healthier than Younger Elders? A Comparative Epidemiological Study in Spain.
J Clin Med. 2020 May 21;9(5):E1563. doi: 10.3390/jcm9051563.
PMID: 32455809

Abstract
This study aims to describe the clinical course, drug use, and health services use characteristics during the last year of life of elders who die being centenarians and to identify key aspects differentiating them from elders who die at an earlier age, with a particular focus on sex differences. We conducted an observational, population-based study in the EpiChron Cohort (Aragón, Spain). The population was stratified by sex and into three age sub-populations (80-89, 90-99, and ≥100 years), and their characteristics were described and compared. Multimorbidity was the rule in our elders, affecting up to 3 in 4 centenarians and 9 in 10 octogenarians and nonagenarians. Polypharmacy was also observed in half of the centenarian population and in most of the younger elders. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease (i.e., hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes), cerebrovascular disease and dementia were amongst the most common chronic conditions in all age groups, whereas the gastroprotective drugs and antithrombotic agents were the most dispensed drugs. Centenarians presented in general lower morbidity and treatment burden and lower use of both primary and hospital healthcare services than octogenarians and nonagenarians, suggesting a better health status. Sex-differences in their clinical characteristics were more striking in octogenarians and tended to decrease with age.
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am


Return to Jeff Novick, RD

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.