title: Occurrence of chronic diseases and their impact on physical disability over the whole spectrum of aging: from 65 to over 100 years of age.
abstract: The aging of the Italian population is an emerging public health priority. In 2025 Italy is expected to have the highest world median age with nearly half of the population over 50 years old. To avoid an unbearable burden of disease and disability on future generations, we must identify areas for intensive disease and disability prevention programs. Preliminary results from the PRO.V.A study show that disability is associated with conditions that are potentially preventable as chronic diseases and falls or are treatable as chronic pains. Moreover, it is of extreme interest to identify and understand biological and environmental secrets of successful aging as the AKEA study tries to do and the ways of overcoming disabilities in the extreme limits of life more and more possible to reach.
authors.affiliation: Padova Hospital, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baggio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male