Evolution of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the age-class 75-84 years during the period 1970-1996. A worldwide overview.
The mean age of nearly all industrialised populations is increasing, due to a lower birth rate and increased expectation of life. The calendar age, however, does not equal biological age. At all ages below 85 years subjects now have higher life expectancies than e.g. 40 years ago. In the age class 75-84 years, during the period 1970-latest available year (around 1996), important decreases in all-cause and cardiovascular mortalities occur both from ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, with the exception of Eastern Europe. Gompertz equations demonstrate that all-cause mortality in the age class 75-84 years cannot be isolated from groups age classes above age of 35 years since the R2 of the equations > 0.99 in all countries. In the age class 75-84 years cancer mortality increased in a majority of countries: as a result the decline in mortality is nearly exclusively due to a decrease in non-cancer mortality especially cardiovascular mortality. A passive attitude towards the possibility of influencing all-cause mortality in the age class 75-84 years is not warranted.
Kesteloot
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Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, KULeuven Kapucijnenvoer 35, B-3000 Leuven.
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality