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100 Isn't Only For Healthy People

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By LINDSEY TANNER, The Associated Press

Published: February 12, 2008

CHICAGO - Living to 100 is easier than you might think.

Surprising research suggests that even people who develop heart disease or diabetes late in life have a decent shot at reaching the century mark.

"It has been generally assumed that living to 100 years of age was limited to those who had not developed chronic illness," said William Hall of the University of Rochester.

Hall has a theory for why that's not always the case. In an editorial in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, where the study was published, he writes that it might be thanks to doctors who aggressively treat these older folks' health problems, rather than taking an "ageist" approach that assumes they wouldn't benefit.

For the study, Boston University researchers did phone interviews and health assessments of more than 500 women and 200 men who reached 100. They found that roughly two-thirds had no significant age-related ailments.

But the rest, dubbed "survivors," developed an age-related disease before reaching 85, including high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Yet many functioned remarkably well - nearly as well as their disease-free peers.

Overall, the men were functioning better than the women. Nearly three-fourths of male survivors could bathe and dress themselves, while only about one-third of the women could.

The researchers think that may be because the men had to be in exceptional condition to reach 100. "Women, on the other hand, may be better physically and socially adept at living with chronic and often disabling conditions," wrote lead author Dellara Terry and her colleagues.

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