U.K.: A Study of the Oldest of the Old in England and Wales

OXFORD, U.K. (Age & Ageing), June 27, 2008: The British Geriatrics Society has announced the publication in the Oxford University Press journal AGE & AGEING of a research paper titled: The oldest old in England and Wales: A descriptive analysis based on the MRC Cognitive Function and Ageing Study, by Jing Xie, Fiona E. Matthews, Carol Jagger, John Bond and Carol Brayne. INTRODUCTION: People are today living longer, but relatively few studies concentrate on the oldest old. Life expectancy is increasing steadily in the United Kingdom and the current average life expectancy at birth is 81 years for women and 76 years for men. The fastest growing section of the population is the oldest old. The number of centenarians is increasing by 7% per annum. In 2003, almost 400,000 people in the United Kingdom were aged 90 years or more (0.7% of the total population). Projections show that there are expected to be 984,000 people aged 90 years or more in 2031, representing 1.6% of the whole population. The oldest old are more likely to experience frailty, illness and dependence in comparison with younger old people (those aged 65–84). A large body of research has described the demographic characteristics, physical health, cognitive impairment, disability and self-perceived health of the oldest old. The oldest old have significantly worse physical function, cognition and social functioning than younger old people. Among the oldest old, women outnumber men with a sex ratio of more than 3:1. The oldest old are less likely to live with a spouse or partner, more likely to be widowed and to be in worse physical function, cognition and social functioning than younger old people. Some risk factors for mortality are similar to those in younger old people, including age, sex, marital status, cognitive impairment, disability, self-rated health, cancer, social support and health status. Though some of these studies have been population-based, others examined specific population groups such as those living in the community or as in-patients, and most have been conducted in developed countries. Nonagenarians are old enough to reflect exceptional longevity, but at the same time represent a less selected group than centenarians. Some surveys have indicated that the relationship between risk factors and mortality is different in the oldest old. In the old old, predictors (age, sex, disability, self-reported health) of mortality have changed over time, and their predictive effects have eventually diminished. It has been reported that the exponential relationship of age with morbidity and mortality for people aged 65–84 years does not persist in those aged 90 years or more. Age and gender were unrelated with survival in centenarians. Given the ageing population, information on characteristics and estimates of survival of the oldest old are useful for policy planners. However, limited information on the health status and mortality of nonagenarians and centenarians is available in the United Kingdom. We have previously reported cognitive and functional results for the whole population from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS). This analysis draws on the full 10-year dataset to capture as much information as possible on individuals aged 90 or more and 100 years or more. The aim is to provide a description of the health status and survival of a population-based cohort aged 90 years and more. Click here to read conclusions and discussion of this study Copyright © 2008 British Geriatrics Society