The Johns Hopkins study looked at the medical history of nearly 1.5 million people aged 67 and older. All of the patients were enrolled in Medicare. Their conclusions were that a 75-year-old woman who had no serious existing medical conditions would likely live nearly 17 more years. However, lifespan declined as medical conditions increased. Those who had five conditions would live an additional 12 years. Those with 10 would live just five more.
The type of disease also determined how the lifespan was affected. Heart disease can be managed, while Alzheimer’s disease is incurable and will slowly cause deterioration.
What these findings point to is the need to manage the onset of certain conditions at an earlier stage, and to be aware that multiple conditions will require a delicate balancing act in treatment. As more organ systems become involved and more medications are taken to reduce issues, conflicts can arise and side effects can mount, in some cases making the so-called “cures” worse than the diseases they’re trying to manage.
Prevention, Rather Than Cure
Medical professionals say the research that proves the impact of multiple diseases points to the need to control certain symptoms earlier in their cycle. For example, the age-old admonition to lose weight takes on added currency when we know it can help reduce the cycle of high blood pressure and adult-onset diabetes, which themselves can lead to a cascade of problems. Ideally, the knowledge of how much life is being wasted by certain activities will prove a powerful incentive to modify behavior.
Beyond the individual, knowing the impact of certain conditions on lifespan may prove beneficial to government planners. Social Security and Medicare administrators have to make calculations on costs extending into the future. When they realize that 60 percent of those aged 67 and older have three or more medical conditions, which can actuarially indicate a lifespan shortened within certain parameters, they can better calculate potential government payouts. The only problem is that medical discoveries can influence the management of certain diseases, thereby extending lifespan beyond what was anticipated at the time the government calculations were made.