Background: Health practices in older persons have reduced mortality and increased the proportions of elderly population in the USA. From 1980-to 1996 in the USA the life expectancy at age 75 increased almost 1 year. Objective: To study the differential impact of health maintenance in an elderly population with respect to reduction in mortality and improvement in life expectancy through age. Methods: Louisiana mortality data (1980-1997), population census and estimations were used. Underlying cause of death were coded by 3-digit ICD-9 revision. For the ten most common causes of death, mortality was studied by age-race-sex groups. Abridged life tables were used to calculate life expectancy. Results: The Louisiana most common causes of death among the elderly in 1997 were cardioheart diseases, pneumonia, chronic air obstruction, acute cerebrovascular disease, lung cancer, and diabetes mellitus. All heart diseases showed decreasing mortality trends in all race-sex-age groups younger than 95 years old. Diabetes and pulmonary diseases mortality rates increased in all groups. Females tripled lung cancer rates and blacks doubled diabetes rates. Cerebrovascular disease mortality rates reduced 0.7 times. Life expectancy increased among 75-85 group maintained similar values among 85-95 and neither mortality rates reduced nor life expectancy increased these trends among 95+. The life expectancy of 95+ increased 1.23-to 1.96 times when heart diseases risks were excluded. Conclusions: Health care reduced mortality for those younger than 95 years old, increased the life expectancy of subjects younger than 85 years of all race-sex groups and did not effect the 85-94-group life expectancy.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify most common causes of mortality among elderly groups. 2. Describe mortality trends by age, sex and race in an aging population. 3. Evaluate the effect of medical care in terms of mortality and life expectancy changes through age
Keywords: Aging, Mortality
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.