title: Predicting successful aging in a population-based sample of georgia centenarians.
abstract: Used a population-based sample (Georgia Centenarian Study, GCS), to determine proportions of centenarians reaching 100 years as (1) survivors (43%) of chronic diseases first experienced between 0-80 years of age, (2) delayers (36%) with chronic diseases first experienced between 80-98 years of age, or (3) escapers (17%) with chronic diseases only at 98 years of age or older. Diseases fall into two morbidity profiles of 11 chronic diseases; one including cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia, and osteoporosis, and another including dementia. Centenarians at risk for cancer in their lifetime tended to be escapers (73%), while those at risk for cardiovascular disease tended to be survivors (24%), delayers (39%), or escapers (32%). Approximately half (43%) of the centenarians did not experience dementia. Psychiatric disorders were positively associated with dementia, but prevalence of depression, anxiety, and psychoses did not differ significantly between centenarians and an octogenarian control group. However, centenarians were higher on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) than octogenarians. Consistent with our model of developmental adaptation in aging, distal life events contribute to predicting survivorship outcome in which health status as survivor, delayer, or escaper appears as adaptation variables late in life.
authors.affiliation: Genetics Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: Jianliang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Lusine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nahapetyan
authors.forename: Ankit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arte
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hausman
authors.forename: Willard L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hensley
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Maurice
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authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.forename: Adam
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authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: Ilene C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Siegler
authors.forename: S Michal
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jazwinski
authors.forename: Leonard W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Poon