Mortality trends of elderly people in Taiwan from 1974 to 1994

Background: the hypothesis that disability and death will eventually be com pressed to a period late in Life needs empirical confirmation. Objectives: we have examined the secular trends of life expectancy and comm on causes of death in the aged population of Taiwan. Method: are compared the life expectancy causes of death and probability of death for people at birth, at age 65 and at age 85 for both sexes from 197 4 to 1994 using data from Taiwan government statistics. Results: there has been a substantial gain in life expectancy; especially f or men age 85 and over, in the past 20 years, Mortality due to stroke, isch aemic heart disease, hypertension and chronic pulmonary disease has decline d. There has been a steep increase in cancer deaths and deaths associated w ith diabetes mellitus. Tuberculosis and injury-related deaths have declined but pneumonia deaths have increased. For elderly people, the probability o f dying from cancer and ischaemic heart disease increased with time. Howeve r, the probability of dying from stroke decreased, Although there was a dec rease in probability of deaths associated with falls, there was an increase of deaths due to 'frailty' (as judged by falls, pneumonia and septicaemia) . Conclusions: cancer is a major cause of death in the elderly population of Taiwan. This rapidly expanding elderly population seemed to suffer from poo rer health in the later period of their life.