Supercentenarian Research

[Guest guest]

Hello Group:

I wrote this email to Dr. Primmer after reading an article about his research on people over age 110 and received this reply, which I though the group might find interesting. Since our concern is long-life, I thought it would be "on subject."

Sincerely,

Lela

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Dear Lela,

Thanks for your inquiry. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner.

I have not heard of the condition you describe, although it is certainly well-known that elderly people have very thin skin. There have been 7 autopsies performed on supercentenarians. In 4 of these the cause of death was senile systemic amyloidosis. Two died of cancer, and one from pneumonia. We hope to perform more autopsies in order to get better statistics on the causes of death and to determine the principal causes and effects of aging as demonstrated by those approaching the maximum of human life span.

Jack LaLanne is certainly admirable for his accomplishments.

Best regards,

Stanley R. Primmer

Director, Supercentenarian Research Foundation

Your research

Hello,

I'm not a medical expert, but I read through your list of research and wanted to ask a question.

I saw a documentary on aging that said the main reason a person over 90 dies is because the skin gets thin and the acid in the person's stomach eats through the lining and into the artery. The person often dies in his sleep, but has bled to death internally. I know that Bob Hope had this problem and was in the hospital for it, but he died at 100 years old. I could never find out if he had received surgery that corrected this problem, maybe by removing the stomach.

My question is how come this doesn't effect the person who is 110 years old? I find it interesting.

Also, I'd like to say, that I have followed the teachings of Jack LaLanne, who is now 92 years old. I suggest you contact him and test him, so you can compare his health as he gets older. If anyone makes it to 120, I bet it will be him. He is a very knowledgeable man.

Sincerely,

Lela NeislerSee what's free at AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

Hi All, Happy reading. Most papers that are reasonably recent can be sent as pdfs. 1. Berzlanovich AM, Keil W, Waldhoer T, Sim E, Fasching P, Fazeny-Dorner B.Do centenarians die healthy? An autopsy study.J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Jul;60(7):862-5. PMID: 16079208 BACKGROUND: Our goal was to assess the prevalence of common causes of death and the demographic variables in a selected population of centenarians. METHODS: The autopsy reports and medical histories of all individuals > or =100 years, dying unexpectedly out of hospital, were gathered from 42,398 consecutive autopsies, performed over a period of 18 years at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Vienna. These records were evaluated with regard to age and sex, circumstances of death, season, time and the cause of death, as well as the presence of any other comorbidity. RESULTS: Forty

centenarians (11 men, 29 women) were identified with a median age of 102 +/- 2.0 (range: 100-108) years. Sixty percent were described as having been healthy before death. However, an acute organic failure causing death was found in 100%, including cardiovascular diseases in 68%, respiratory illnesses in 25%, gastrointestinal disorders in 5%, and cerebrovascular disease in 2%. Additionally, centenarians suffered from several comorbidities (cardiac antecedents, neurologic disorders, liver diseases, cholecystolithiasis), which were not judged to be the cause of death. CONCLUSIONS: Centenarians, though perceived to have been healthy just prior to death, succumbed to diseases in 100% of the cases examined. They did not die merely "of old age." The 100% post mortem diagnosis of death as a result of acute organic failure justifies autopsy as a legal requirement for this clinically difficult age group 2. SM, Koelmeyer TD.The forensic

pathology of nonagenarians and centenarians: do they die of old age? (The Auckland experience).Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2001 Jun;22(2):150-4. PMID: 11394748 The aim of this study is to provide awareness of the common causes of death and their associated trends in the very aged. Forensic autopsies on patients aged >90 years were reviewed. The study lasted from January 1, 1988 to December 11, 1998 and was done in Auckland, New Zealand, the population of which is 1.3 million. Cases were divided into natural or unnatural deaths. Of the total of 319 cases, 272 (85%) deaths were natural. Of those, only 13 (5%) were "written off" as being attributed to old age or senile debility. The most common causes of death were ischemic heart disease (IHD), 74 cases (23%); bronchopneumonia, 37 cases (12%); fractures, 28 cases (9%); acute myocardial infarction, 25 cases (8%); cerebrovascular accident, 19 cases (6%); and ruptured aneurysm, 17

cases (5%); 61 (19%) deaths were multifactorial. Fractures, either as the primary cause of death or as a complicating factor, accounted for 29 cases, third only to IHD and bronchopneumonia. Forty-seven deaths (15%) were unnatural; of those, 43 were accidents, 3 were suicides, and 1 was a homicide. From these results it is clear that the very elderly succumb to disease; they do not often die of old age. 3. Gessert CE, Elliott BA, Haller IV.Dying of old age: an examination of death certificates of Minnesota centenarians.J Am Geriatr Soc. 2002 Sep;50(9):1561-5. PMID: 12383155 OBJECTIVES: To compare how causes of death are recorded on the death certificates of centenarians with those who die in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. We also examined direct and indirect acknowledgment of age as a cause of death. DESIGN: Retrospective review of death certificates. SETTING: State of Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: The death

certificates of 26,415 individuals aged 70 and over who died in Minnesota in 1998 were examined for underlying causes of death. Of these, 449 were for individuals who were aged 100 and older at the time of their death. MEASUREMENTS: Causes of death. RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cirrhosis, myocardial infarction, and most cancers decreased in frequency as reported causes of death with advancing age. Conversely, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, and neurological/mental and poorly defined conditions increased in frequency with age. CONCLUSIONS: Centenarians appear to "outlive" the risks for many of the conditions that are common causes of death for those who die in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, such as cancer and myocardial infarction. Conditions associated with aging, such as congestive heart failure and degenerative neurological conditions become more prominent as reported causes of death in the oldest individuals. The guidelines for

the completion of death certificates should be modified to facilitate direct acknowledgment of age-related frailty as a contributing cause of death. 4. Esaki Y, Sawabe M, Arai T, Matsushita S, Takubo K.[Pathologic evaluation of the main cause of death in Japanese centenarians]Nippon Ronen Igakkai Zasshi. 1999 Feb;36(2):116-21. Japanese. PMID: 10363529 A total of 42 Japanese centenarians (9 males & 33 females) autopsied in Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital during 22 years (1975-1996) were clinico-pathologically examined to determine details of the main cause of death. The main cause of death of the 42 cases were sepsis (16 cases), pneumonia (14 cases), suffocation (4 cases), heart failure (4 cases), cerebrovascular disorder (2 cases) and malnutrition (2 cases). Most pneumonias were caused aspiration of foreign bodies, and the origins of sepsis were pyelonephritis (7 cases), biliary

tract infection (3 cases), necrotic lesions of the intestine due to ileus, ischemia and pseudomembranous colitis (3 cases) and indwelling vein catheter (3 cases). Malignant neoplasms were observed in 16 cases (38%), and 5 of them had 2 or 3 lesions. Thus, the total number of lesions of malignant neoplasms were 22, as follows; colonic cancer (36%), urinary bladder cancer (14%), lung adenocarcinoma (9%), gastric cancer (9%), malignant lymphoma (9%) and others. However, none of these malignant neoplasms were directly related with the cause of death. All 42 centenarians died not of simple "senile decay", but due to diseases.jibbie49@... wrote: Hello Group: I wrote this email to Dr. Primmer after reading an article about his research on people over age 110 and received this reply, which I though the group might find interesting. Since our concern is long-life, I thought it would be "on subject." Sincerely, Lela ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Lela, Thanks for your inquiry. I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I have not heard of the condition you describe, although it is certainly well-known that elderly people have very thin skin. There have been 7 autopsies performed on supercentenarians. In 4 of these the cause of death was senile systemic amyloidosis. Two died of cancer, and one from pneumonia. We hope to perform more autopsies in order to get better

statistics on the causes of death and to determine the principal causes and effects of aging as demonstrated by those approaching the maximum of human life span. Jack LaLanne is certainly admirable for his accomplishments. Best regards, Stanley R. Primmer Director, Supercentenarian Research Foundation Your research Hello, I'm not a medical expert, but I read through your list of research and wanted to ask a question. I saw a documentary on aging that said the main reason a person over 90 dies is because the skin gets thin and the acid in the person's stomach eats through the lining and into the artery. The person often dies in his sleep, but has bled to

death internally. I know that Bob Hope had this problem and was in the hospital for it, but he died at 100 years old. I could never find out if he had received surgery that corrected this problem, maybe by removing the stomach. My question is how come this doesn't effect the person who is 110 years old? I find it interesting. Also, I'd like to say, that I have followed the teachings of Jack LaLanne, who is now 92 years old. I suggest you contact him and test him, so you can compare his health as he gets older. If anyone makes it to 120, I bet it will be him. He is a very knowledgeable man. Sincerely, Lela Neisler See what's free at AOL.com.

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