Compression of Morbidity Is Observed Across Cohorts with Exceptional Longevity.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Case-control study comparing exceptionally long-lived individuals with younger reference cohorts.
PubMed 27377170 · doi:10.1111/jgs.14222
What was done
A case-control study compared individuals with exceptional longevity to younger referent cohorts across two distinct populations: the Longevity Genes Project (LGP: 439 long-lived participants, mean age 97.8 ± 2.8 years; 696 referents) and the New England Centenarian Study (NECS: 1,498 long-lived participants, mean age 101.4 ± 4.0 years; 302 referents). Researchers assessed self- and proxy-reported age of onset for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, and stroke.
What was found
Participants with exceptional longevity in both cohorts demonstrated significantly delayed onset of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and osteoporosis compared to younger referents. The relative risk (RR) of overall morbidity was lower in long-lived cohorts relative to younger controls: NECS men had RR = 0.12, NECS women had RR = 0.20, LGP men had RR = 0.18, and LGP women had RR = 0.24. The age at which 20% of the long-lived participants developed specific diseases was delayed by 18 to 24 years compared to sex-stratified reference groups.
Why it matters
The findings show that living to extreme old age is accompanied by a substantial delay in major age-related chronic diseases and marked compression of morbidity, rather than extended periods of end-of-life disability.
Limits
Data relied on self- and proxy-reported diagnoses and age of onset, introducing recall and reporting bias. Comparing non-concurrent birth cohorts introduces cohort effects and temporal confounding in medical care and diagnostic practices. The specific Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry in the LGP cohort may limit generalizability to other populations. Abstract does not report specific values for stroke onset.
Cited by
- supports Centenarians who live to 100 and beyond generally die of the same major chronic diseases as the general population (cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases), but at a delayed age.