The extension of Gompertz law's validity

Area of Science:

• Demography
• Biostatistics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The Gompertz law of mortality is typically applied to ages 35-85.
• Accidents and external causes significantly influence mortality rates in younger age groups (10-30 years).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the validity of the Gompertz law at younger ages.
• To analyze mortality patterns after excluding age-independent causes of death.

Main Methods:

• Linear regression analysis of mortality rates.
• Exclusion of age-independent causes of death (accidents, violence, suicide) from total mortality data.
• Comparative analysis across six populations (US, Japan, Czechoslovakia) for men and women.

Main Results:

• Excluding age-independent causes reveals a linear mortality pattern starting before age 20.
• The Gompertz law's linear relationship is observed from age 20 to 84 in analyzed populations.
• Infant mortality from specific cancers (brain, hematopoietic) is not influenced by birth factors.

Conclusions:

• The Gompertz law's applicability extends to younger ages when age-independent mortality is accounted for.
• Mortality patterns in early life, particularly from certain cancers, show unique characteristics.
• Accidents significantly skew overall mortality curves, masking underlying age-dependent trends.