English are more healthy, but Americans live as long or longer
Older Americans have higher rates of chronic diseases than their peers in England, but die at about the same rate, according to a new study by researchers at the RAND Corporation and the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London.
The study, published in the journal Demography, found that Americans ages 55 to 64 had higher rates of disease than English citizens of the same age, although their death rates were the same.
Moreover, Americans 65 and older, while still sicker, had a lower death rate than their peers in England. Researchers analyzed two similar surveys of people aged 50 and older in the United States and in England, examining the prevalence of illness and the death rates in both countries.
"If you get sick at older ages you will die sooner in England than in the United States," said James P. Smith, the chairman in labor markets and demographic studies at RAND. "It appears that at least in terms of survival at older ages with chronic disease, the medical system in the United States may be better than the system in England."
Researchers said there are two possible explanations for the higher death rates for English after age 65 than Americans in the same period of life. One could be that the illnesses studied (including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, stroke and cancer) result in higher mortality in England than in America. The other is that English citizens are diagnosed at a later stage in the disease process than their American peers.
- Medical groups urge Congress to give top funding to the fight against Zika
- Zika virus may lead to eye problems in babies with microcephaly birth defect
- Pregnant moms who consume more fruit give birth to children who perform better developmentally, study finds
- UW virologist devises strategy for more accurate development of seasonal flu vaccine
- UCLA study offers promise for treating age-related memory loss
- Should doctors send condolence letters when their patients die?
- Cheese cheats beware
- Graduation speaker for MCW is director of National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
- MCW wins $6.8 million grant from U.S. Army to analyze neck, spine and brain safety
- Authors Michael Orban and Andrew Jones to speak at UWM conference on veterans' health