Survey of 160 centenarians in Shanghai

One hundred and sixty centenarians were discovered and followed up for 7 years (1982-88) in Shanghai. The proportion of centenarians in the population was non-significantly greater in the urban than in the rural area and centenarians were in general increasing in both areas over the years. The factors promoting longevity were good medical care and benevolent attention from family members. Autopsy was performed in eight centenarians revealing the main causes of death as pneumonia and cancer.