Pathology of centenarians. II. Urogenital and digestive systems

The urogenital and digestive systems in 23 centenarians (7 males and 16 females) were examined pathologically. In the urogenital system, macroscopic scar formation, chronic pyelonephritis and arterio- and arteriolosclerosis of the kidney usually were pronounced. Six instances of prostatic glandular hyperplasia were demonstrated, and three of these were associated with well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The testis, ovary and uterus usually showed a strong tendency toward atrophic changes. In the digestive system, senile atrophy of the liver and formation of colonic diverticula were noted. In this series of aged subjects, malignant lesions of the gastrointestinal tract were rare. It is also noteworthy that the unsuspected lesion of massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage associated with the various observed disorders might have been the cause of death in some of these centenarians.