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Circulatory disease mortality in the very elderly
1Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611-2611, USA.
Insights
Mortality from circulatory diseases, including heart disease and stroke, accelerates with age in adults 85 and over. While gaps narrow in later life, these older adults experienced smaller mortality decreases since 1960.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Circulatory diseases remain a leading cause of death in older populations.
- Understanding age-specific mortality patterns is crucial for public health interventions.
- Vital Statistics of the United States provides key data on mortality trends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze circulatory disease mortality trends in individuals aged 85 and over.
- To examine how mortality rates from specific circulatory conditions change with advanced age.
- To investigate sex and race disparities in circulatory disease mortality within this age group.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mortality data from Vital Statistics of the United States.
- Comparison of mortality rates for circulatory diseases versus all causes.
- Examination of age-specific mortality rates and trends since 1960.
Main Results:
- Mortality rates for combined circulatory diseases, ischemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular diseases increase with age more rapidly than all-cause mortality.
- The specific types of circulatory diseases causing death vary significantly with age.
- While men and Black individuals initially show higher rates, sex and racial gaps in mortality narrow and may reverse in advanced age.
- The age group 85 and over has seen smaller reductions in circulatory disease mortality since 1960 compared to younger elderly and middle-aged groups.
Conclusions:
- Circulatory disease mortality patterns are complex and age-dependent in the oldest adults.
- Public health strategies need to address the unique challenges and narrowing disparities in this demographic.
- The slower decline in mortality for those 85+ suggests a need for targeted research and interventions.
Abstract:
I describe circulatory disease mortality in age groups 85 years and over, as available from Vital Statistics of the United States. Mortality rates from all circulatory disease combined, from ischemic heart disease, and from cerebrovascular diseases increase faster with age than the mortality rate from all causes combined. The kinds of circulatory diseases causing death change with age. Although men and black people have higher mortality rates from circulatory diseases than women and white people through early old age, the gaps narrow with age, and there are sex and racial crossovers in later old age. Age groups 85 years and over have had smaller decreases in mortality rates from circulatory diseases since 1960 than middle-aged and younger elderly age groups.