Large Numbers of Undiagnosed Diseases in Men Over 80

By Richard Shank

The British Medical Journal reports on a U.S. study that finds that, after 80 years of age, major cardiovascular diseases are most likely to be diagnosed at death. A similar trend was found for various types of cancer, proving that many of these conditions are untreated in the oldest Americans.

Prior to this study, data on the incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease were relatively unreliable. This research utilized a prospective cohort study involving 22,048 men aged 40 to 84 years of age who were free of major disease when they were first tested in 1982.

The findings suggest that increased efforts to diagnose and treat both cardiovascular disease and cancer should continue into old age.

Source: Driver, J. 2008. Incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer in advanced age: Prospective cohort study. British Medical Journal 337: 7683, 1400-1403.

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