Health
Despite modest gains in lifespan over the past century, the United States still trails many of the world’s countries when it comes to life expectancy, and its poorest citizens live approximately five years less than more affluent persons, according to a new study from Rice University and the University Colorado at Boulder.
The study, “Stagnating Life Expectancies and Future Prospects in an Age of Uncertainty,” used time-series analysis to evaluate historical data on U.S. Mortality from the Human Mortality Database.
The study authors reviewed data from 1930 through 2000 to identify trends in mortality over time and forecast life expectancy to the year 2055.
Their research will be published in an upcoming issue of Social Science Quarterly.
Although the researchers found that the U.S. can expect very moderate gains in coming years (less than an additional three years through 2055), the U.S. still trails its developed counterparts in life expectancy.
For example, the average life expectancy in the U.S. for a person born today is is 78.49, which is significantly lower than people born in Monaco, Macau and Japan, which have the three highest life expectancies (89.68, 84.43 and 83.91 years, respectively).
In addition, the most deprived U.S. citizens tend to live five years less than their more affluent countrymen, according to Justin Denney, Rice assistant professor of sociology, who was principal author for the study.
Denney said that in 1930, average life expectancy in the United States was 59.85. By 2000, it rose to 77.1 years.
“But when broken down, these numbers show that those gains were mostly experienced between 1930 the 1950s and 1960s,” he said. “Since that time, gains in life expectancy have flattened out.
“During periods of expansion in length of life, a similar expansion has occurred between more and less advantaged groups – the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, inequality grows and life expectancy is dramatically impacted,” Denney said. “And despite disproportionate spending on health care, life expectancy in the U.S. Continues to fall down the ladder of international rankings of length of life. It goes to show that prosperity doesn’t necessarily equal long-term health.”
Denney said many of the chronic conditions that have led to smaller gains in life expectancy are more easily treated when people are more financially stable.
He said the study shows “the ugly side of inequality,” and he hopes it will draw attention to the fact that more needs to be done to address stagnating life expectancies in the U.S. And eliminate inequalities in the U.S.
“Even in uncertain times, it is important to look forward in preparing for the needs of future populations,” Denney said. “The results presented here underscore the relevance of policy and health initiatives aimed at improving the nation’s health and reveal important insight into possible limits to mortality improvement over the next five decades.”
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A lung screening and surveillance task force, established by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) and led by medical professionals from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), is strongly recommending new guidelines for lung cancer screening.
The guidelines were published last week in the online edition of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS).
Recent research has shown low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is beneficial in reducing deaths from lung cancer.
The AATS task force recommends an annual lung cancer screening using LDCT for:
- Smokers and former smokers between the ages of 55 and 79 who have smoked the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years;
- Smokers and former smokers between the ages of 50 and 79 who have smoked the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years and have other factors that raise their risk of developing lung cancer;
- Long-term lung cancer survivors up to the age of 79 (to detect a second case of primary lung cancer).
David Sugarbaker, MD, the chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at BWH and president-elect of the AATS, conceived the idea of creating the guidelines.
“This work will result in a greater chance for patients stricken with early lung cancer to receive curative therapy,” Sugarbaker said.
These guidelines differ from the recommendations of other societies because they recommend screening for patients up to the age of 79. Other societies only recommend screening for patients up to the age of 74.
These guidelines also are unique because they address lung cancer survivors. In total, under the AATS recommendations, 94 million Americans are now eligible for screening.
The AATS task force recommends that screening should not be performed for individuals with conditions that would preclude successful treatment for lung cancer.
“Low-dose CT scanning has been proven to save lives,” said Francine Jacobson, MD, MPH, a thoracic radiologist at BWH and a co-chair of the task force. “I hope this recommendation will encourage physicians to use low-dose CT scanning for a broader range of patients.”
Michael Jaklitsch, MD, a thoracic surgeon at BWH and a co-chair of the task force said, “Lung cancer is an epidemic with over a quarter of a million new cases each year. Now, for the first time in history, there is a clear screening tool that identifies early stages of lung cancer, when treatment is most successful. Our analysis shows this tool of low-dose CT scans to be safe and very cost efficient. Lung cancer screening will save lives, save lungs and inspire many Americans to quit smoking.”
The 14 member task force is made up of thoracic surgeons, thoracic radiologists, medical oncologists, a pulmonologist, a pathologist and an epidemiologist.
They based their conclusion on a review of screening trials in the United States and Europe, an examination of current literature and discussions of clinical practices.
The work of the task force was funded by the AATS.
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