Despite Longer Life Spans, Fewer Years Are Disease-Free
Date: 23.12.2010
Increased life expectancy in the United States has not been accompanied by more years of perfect health, reveals new research published in the December issue of the Journal of Gerontology.
Indeed, a 20-year-old today can expect to live one less healthy year over his or her lifespan than a 20-year-old a decade ago, even though life expectancy has grown.
From 1970 to 2005, the probability of a 65-year-old surviving to age 85 doubled, from about a 20 percent chance to a 40 percent chance. But new research shows that average "morbidity," or, the period of life spend with serious disease or loss of functional mobility, has actually increased in the last few decades.
Original Paper:
E. M. Crimmins, H. Beltran-Sanchez. Mortality and Morbidity Trends: Is There Compression of Morbidity? The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2010; 66B (1): 75 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbq088
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101213140950.htm
