There are few studies of people living past 100, and the latest reveals that they are, surprisingly, much healthier than non-centenarians.
- On January 1, 2020, there were 326 centenarians in France for every 1 million inhabitants.
- 528 centenarian women for every 1 million women, and 110 centenarian men for every 1 million men.
According to a new study published in JAMAcentenarians are in better health than ordinary mortals.
Lower spending for older age groups
To reach this conclusion, the scientists quantified the health expenses of Japanese centenarians and their hospitalization rate. They then asked themselves: “Are there any differences between the medical expenses of Japanese centenarians and non-centenarians in the year preceding their death?”
34,317 patients aged 75 to 109 were included in the study cohort. Analysis of medical expenditures during the participants’ last year of life showed a significant trend towards lower expenditures for the older age groups. Thus, the median total expenditures during the 30 days preceding death by age group were $6,784 for those aged 75 to 79, $5,894 for those aged 80 to 84, $5,069 for those aged 85 to 89, $4205 for 90-94 year olds, $3522 for 95-99 year olds, $2898 for 100-104 year olds and $2626 for 105-109 year olds.
Fewer hospitalizations among older people
Another surprising fact: the proportion of patients hospitalized during the year preceding death also decreases with age. 4,311 of 4,551 patients aged 75 to 79 (94.7%) were hospitalized over this duration, compared with 43 of 78 patients aged 105 to 109 (55.1%).
“This study found that in Japan, medical expenditures in the last year of life tended to be lower for centenarians than for non-centenarians. The proportion of hospitalized patients also decreases with age,” conclude the researchers. “These results can give indications on the health policies to be carried out with centenarians”, they believe.
.
