9.12.2007
Life Expectancy in U.S. Accelerates
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The official statistics have been calculated, by the National Center of Health Statistics and the good news is that life expectancy has reached another all time high: 77.9 years for the average person in 2005 the U.S, an incease of .1 year over 2004.
This Gompertz function has been used for the last 180 years or so to plot lifespan and risk (it's also used by insurance carriers and actuaries).
Interestingly, while death rate from stroke and heart disease declined, deaths from cancer increased by just less than 0.8%
There was a significant 5.0% increase in deaths from Alzheimer's Disease year-to-year; however Alzheimer's Disease is sometimes not listed as a cause of mortality in favor of a condition that it promotes such as pneumonia, understating its impact.
The problem with Alzheimer's is that it will eventually become the world's leading cause of mortality, as gains in treating other illnesses continue to advance.
This Gompertz function has been used for the last 180 years or so to plot lifespan and risk (it's also used by insurance carriers and actuaries).
Interestingly, while death rate from stroke and heart disease declined, deaths from cancer increased by just less than 0.8%
There was a significant 5.0% increase in deaths from Alzheimer's Disease year-to-year; however Alzheimer's Disease is sometimes not listed as a cause of mortality in favor of a condition that it promotes such as pneumonia, understating its impact.
The problem with Alzheimer's is that it will eventually become the world's leading cause of mortality, as gains in treating other illnesses continue to advance.
Labels: alzheimers, gompertz, life expectancy
