In recent years, there have been changes in the causes of death among the elderly in Japan.
The rate of death from old age, which used to be low, is increasing, and the background to this is considered to be a super-aging society and the development of medical science.
In this article, we will introduce the causes of death among the elderly and their changes based on the results of the demographic survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
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Causes of death and changes in the elderly
Let's look at the causes of death in the elderly by age.
The most common causes of death in the age group of 55 to 79 are malignant neoplasm, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, suicide, and accidental accidents, in that order, and there is no change in the ranking during this period.
However, it is pneumonia that pneumonia begins to increase after the age of 65. At the age of 80 or older, cerebrovascular disease and pneumonia take the third place.
Then, around the age of 85, senility begins to increase in place of unforeseen accidents. The mortality rate of old age increases as the age increases, and the ranking rises to the first place after 95 years old.
For more information on causes of death in older adults, see:
malignant neoplasm (cancer)
Malignant neoplasm is the most common cause of death among the elderly, and one in three to four Japanese die from malignant neoplasm.
It is the most malignant neoplasm in many age groups, but the cause of its onset is the accumulation of genetic abnormalities.
Genetic abnormalities are more likely to occur with age, and it is said that the number of deaths from malignant neoplasms will continue to increase until around 2030 to 2035, when baby boomers reach their late 80s.
However, mortality has been declining since peaking in the mid-1990s, and cancer survival rates are on the rise at many sites.
Heart disease
Cardiac disease, which continues to rank second or higher after the age of 50, includes heart disease in general, excluding hypertension.
Most of them are ischemic heart diseases, diseases such as angina pectoris and myocardial infarction that cause oxygen and nutrient deficiency in the heart muscle.
The mortality rate from heart disease temporarily decreased around 1994, but has been on the rise again since 1997. Arteriosclerosis is said to be the main cause of heart disease, and arteriosclerosis is closely related to heredity, aging, and lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes.
It is known that the prevalence of heart disease increases with age, and it is believed that the increase in mortality rate is due to aging.
old age
Senescence is the deterioration of vital organs such as the brain, lungs, and heart due to aging, leading to weakening and death.
Many of the senility borders on the average life expectancy of 80 years old, and it corresponds to the case where it is recognized as a natural death that does not apply to the cause of death such as illness or accident.
Senility, which is often diagnosed from the age of 85, is the number one cause of death for people over the age of 95.
Old age was originally a rare cause of death, but due to the aging population and advances in medical science, it is no longer rare. In fact, the number of deaths due to old age has tripled compared to 10 years ago.
cerebrovascular disease
Cerebrovascular disease is a general term for diseases of the brain and nerves caused by clogged or damaged blood vessels in the brain.
Cerebrovascular disease was once the number one cause of death, but now it ranks third among those aged 55 to 79, and fourth among those aged 80 and over. Advances in medical technology and promotion of preventive medicine for hypertension, diabetes, and arrhythmia are thought to be the reasons for the decrease in cerebrovascular disease.
pneumonia
Pneumonia ranks fourth among those aged 65-79, and ranks third among those aged 80-100 and over.
After the war, the mortality rate of pneumonia dramatically decreased due to the introduction of antibacterial drugs, but it started to increase again from around 1970.
However, there is a big difference in the age of death between the past and the present.
In the past, deaths from pneumonia were bimodal: infants and the elderly, but now most of them are aged 65 and over. The reason why the number of deaths from pneumonia continues to increase in modern times is related to Japan's aging population.
unforeseen accident
Unexpected accidents rank among the top causes of death in all age groups, but after the age of 85, the number of accidents gradually decreases.
At the same time, the age of 85 is also the time when the mortality rate due to old age increases, and it is predicted that the decrease in the mortality rate due to unforeseen accidents is related to changes in the living environment.
It seems that it reflects the appearance of elderly people who tend to stay indoors and stop going out to avoid accidents.
cause of death in the elderlyTome
In this article, we have introduced the causes of death in the elderly.
・Causes of death among the elderly have changed due to the aging population and advances in medical science.
・The death rate of diseases caused by lifestyle-related diseases is increasing.
・Malignant neoplasm is the leading cause of death among the elderly, and is still on the rise.
Mortality from heart disease temporarily declined, but is now rising
・As the population ages, senescence is becoming more common.
・ Cerebrovascular disease, which was once the number one mortality rate, is on the decline
・The death rate from pneumonia decreased after the war, but is rising again due to the aging population.
・Unexpected accidents decrease from around 85 years old when aging increases
The aging population and the increase in diseases caused by lifestyle-related diseases are both closely related to the historical background.
The aging society is said to continue until 2040. What kind of changes will you see in the future?
Supervision: Dr. Yasushi Tsuda