Women Live Longer Than Do Men
In the United States the life expectancy in 2002 for females born in that year was 5.4 years more than for males born the same year—79.9 years and 74.5 years, respectively. (See Table 10.1.) In 2000 there were eighty-five men ages sixty-five to sixty-nine for every one hundred women in the same age span. As both sexes age, the gap widens. For those age eighty and over, there were only fifty-two men for every one hundred women.
TABLE 10.7 Death rates for cerebrovascular diseases, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age, selected years 1950–2002 [CONTINUED]
| TABLE 10.7 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death rates for cerebrovascular diseases, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age, selected years 1950–2002 [CONTINUED] | ||||||||
| [Data are based on death certificates] | ||||||||
| Sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age | 1950a | 1960a | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native malec | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | 66.4 | 44.3 | 46.1 | 37.5 | 37.1 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | 23.1 | 16.0 | 16.8 | 14.2 | 15.4 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | * | * | 13.3 | 12.6 | 15.4 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | 72.0 | 39.8 | 48.6 | 24.1 | 34.5 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | 170.5 | 120.3 | 144.7 | 131.5 | 96.6 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | 523.9 | 325.9 | 373.3 | 247.8 | 276.4 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | 1,384.7 | 949.8 | 834.9 | 833.0 | 768.3 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander malec | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | 71.4 | 59.1 | 58.0 | 55.3 | 50.8 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | 28.7 | 23.3 | 27.2 | 27.5 | 25.9 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | 17.0 | 15.6 | 15.0 | 15.9 | 14.9 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | 59.9 | 51.8 | 49.3 | 46.2 | 40.4 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | 197.9 | 167.9 | 135.6 | 134.7 | 112.9 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | 619.5 | 483.9 | 438.7 | 409.8 | 390.3 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | 1,399.0 | 1,196.6 | 1,415.6 | 1,327.7 | 1,233.6 |
| Hispanic or Latino malec, e | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | — | 46.5 | 50.5 | 48.9 | 44.3 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | — | 15.6 | 15.8 | 15.7 | 15.0 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | — | 20.0 | 18.1 | 18.7 | 18.6 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | — | 49.2 | 48.8 | 43.5 | 45.0 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | — | 126.4 | 136.1 | 127.2 | 124.6 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | — | 356.6 | 392.9 | 386.3 | 338.5 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | — | 866.3 | 1,029.9 | 1,005.6 | 856.7 |
| White, not Hispanic or Latino malee | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | — | 66.3 | 59.9 | 56.5 | 54.4 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | — | 50.6 | 53.9 | 52.0 | 51.3 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | — | 14.9 | 13.0 | 11.9 | 12.1 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | — | 45.1 | 38.7 | 35.1 | 34.5 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | — | 154.5 | 133.1 | 128.0 | 123.2 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | — | 547.3 | 482.3 | 460.5 | 441.1 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | — | 1,578.7 | 1,505.9 | 1,399.0 | 1,345.9 |
| White femalec | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | 169.7 | 165.0 | 135.5 | 89.0 | 60.3 | 57.3 | 54.5 | 53.4 |
| All ages, crude | 103.3 | 110.1 | 109.8 | 88.6 | 71.6 | 76.9 | 74.0 | 73.0 |
| 45-54 years | 55.0 | 33.8 | 30.5 | 18.6 | 13.5 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 10.4 |
| 55-64 years | 156.9 | 103.0 | 78.1 | 48.6 | 35.8 | 30.2 | 27.6 | 27.4 |
| 65-74 years | 498.1 | 383.3 | 303.2 | 172.5 | 116.1 | 107.3 | 99.9 | 99.5 |
| 75-84 years | 1,471.30 | 1,444.70 | 1,176.80 | 728.8 | 456.5 | 434.2 | 421.6 | 414.1 |
| 85 years and over | 3,017.9 | 3,795.7 | 3,167.6 | 2,362.7 | 1,685.9 | 1,646.7 | 1,563.5 | 1,516.9 |
| Black or African American femalec | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | 238.4 | 232.5 | 189.3 | 119.6 | 84.0 | 76.2 | 73.7 | 71.8 |
| All ages, crude | 128.3 | 127.7 | 112.2 | 77.8 | 60.7 | 58.3 | 56.9 | 55.8 |
| 45-54 years | 248.9 | 166.2 | 119.4 | 61.8 | 44.1 | 38.1 | 37.3 | 35.7 |
| 55-64 years | 567.7 | 452.0 | 272.4 | 138.4 | 96.9 | 76.4 | 74.4 | 70.1 |
| 65-74 years | 754.4 | 830.5 | 673.5 | 361.7 | 236.7 | 190.9 | 189.5 | 181.2 |
| 75-84 yearsd | 1,496.7 | 1,413.1 | 1,338.3 | 917.5 | 595.0 | 549.2 | 530.3 | 532.2 |
| 85 years and over | — | 2,578.9 | 2,210.5 | 1,891.6 | 1,495.2 | 1,556.5 | 1,491.2 | 1,434.3 |
| American Indian or Alaska Native femalec | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | 51.2 | 38.4 | 43.7 | 44.0 | 38.0 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | 22.0 | 19.3 | 21.5 | 23.3 | 21.5 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | * | * | 14.4 | 15.1 | 13.5 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | * | 40.7 | 37.9 | 30.4 | 33.1 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | 128.3 | 100.5 | 79.5 | 133.3 | 112.4 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | 404.2 | 282.0 | 391.1 | 359.9 | 304.8 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | 1,095.5 | 776.2 | 931.5 | 830.5 | 689.9 |
TABLE 10.7 Death rates for cerebrovascular diseases, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age, selected years 1950–2002 [CONTINUED]
| TABLE 10.7 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death rates for cerebrovascular diseases, by sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age, selected years 1950–2002 [CONTINUED] | ||||||||
| [Data are based on death certificates] | ||||||||
| Sex, race, Hispanic origin, and age | 1950a | 1960a | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| *Rates based on fewer than 20 deaths are considered unreliable and are not shown. | ||||||||
| aIncludes deaths of persons who were not residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. | ||||||||
| bAge-adjusted rates are calculated using the year 2000 standard population. | ||||||||
| cThe race groups, white, black, Asian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native, include persons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Death rates for the American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian or Pacific Islander populations are known to be underestimated. | ||||||||
| dIn 1950 rate is for the age group 75 years and over. | ||||||||
| ePrior to 1997, excludes data from states lacking an Hispanic-origin item on the death certificate. | ||||||||
| Notes: "—"= Data not available. Starting with 2003, rates for 1991–99 were revised using intercensal population estimates based on census 2000. Rates for 2000 were revised based on census 2000 counts. Rates for 2001 and 2002 were computed using 2000-based postcensal estimates. Age groups were selected to minimize the presentation of unstable age-specific death rates based on small numbers of deaths and for consistency among comparison groups. | ||||||||
| SOURCE: "Table 37. Death Rates for Cerebrovascular Diseases, according to Sex, Race, Hispanic Origin, and Age: United States, Selected Years 1950–2002," in Health, United States, 2005, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, November 2005, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus05.pdf (accessed February 27, 2006) | ||||||||
| Asian or Pacific Islander femalec | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | 60.8 | 54.9 | 49.1 | 48.2 | 45.4 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | 26.4 | 24.3 | 28.7 | 29.8 | 29.2 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | 20.3 | 19.7 | 13.3 | 11.3 | 12.6 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | 43.7 | 42.1 | 33.3 | 35.2 | 32.1 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | 136.1 | 124.0 | 102.8 | 113.2 | 112.5 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | 446.6 | 396.6 | 386.0 | 359.6 | 331.7 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | 1,545.2 | 1,395.0 | 1,246.6 | 1,236.8 | 1,149.8 |
| Hispanic or Latino femalec, e | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | — | 43.7 | 43.0 | 41.6 | 38.6 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | — | 20.1 | 19.4 | 19.1 | 18.4 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | — | 15.2 | 12.4 | 13.1 | 12.0 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | — | 38.5 | 31.9 | 28.2 | 27.6 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | — | 102.6 | 95.2 | 89.6 | 85.6 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | — | 308.5 | 311.3 | 310.7 | 307.2 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | — | 1,055.3 | 1,108.9 | 1,061.2 | 918.5 |
| White, not Hispanic or Latino femalee | ||||||||
| All ages, age adjustedb | — | — | — | — | 61.0 | 57.6 | 54.8 | 53.9 |
| All ages, crude | — | — | — | — | 77.2 | 85.5 | 82.6 | 82.1 |
| 45-54 years | — | — | — | — | 13.2 | 10.9 | 9.8 | 10.1 |
| 55-64 years | — | — | — | — | 35.7 | 29.9 | 27.4 | 27.2 |
| 65-74 years | — | — | — | — | 116.9 | 107.6 | 100.3 | 100.2 |
| 75-84 years | — | — | — | — | 461.9 | 438.3 | 425.6 | 418.4 |
| 85 years and over | — | — | — | — | 1,714.7 | 1,661.6 | 1,577.4 | 1,536.7 |
(See Table 10.9.) The U.S. Census Bureau found that in 2000 more than two-thirds of all people older than eighty-five were women—approximately three million women, compared with 1.2 million men.
Elderly Women Have More Chronic Diseases Than Do Elderly Men
Older women are more likely than men of the same age to suffer from chronic conditions, such as arthritis, osteoporosis and related bone fractures, AD, and incontinence. Women are also more likely to have more than one chronic disorder at a time (comorbidity). Arnold Mitnitski and colleagues note in "Relative Fitness and Frailty of Elderly Men and Women in Developed Countries and Their Relationship with Mortality" (Journal of the American Geriatric Society, vol. 53, no. 12, December 2005) that women, at any given age, were frailer than men although they had a lower mortality rate.
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