Nonagenarian Siblings and Their Offspring Display Lower Risk of Mortality and Morbidity than Sporadic Nonagenarians: The Leiden Longevity Study |
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Authors: | Rudi GJ Westendorp MD PhD Diana van Heemst PhD Maarten P Rozing MD Marijke Frölich PhD Simon P Mooijaart MD PhD Gerard-Jan Blauw MD PhD Marian Beekman PhD Bastiaan T Heijmans PhD Anton JM de Craen PhD P Eline Slagboom PhD for the Leiden Longevity Study Group |
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Institution: | From the Departments of Gerontology and Geriatrics,;Clinical Chemistry, and;Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands. |
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Abstract: | OBJECTIVES: To compare the risk of mortality of nonagenarian siblings with that of sporadic nonagenarians (not selected on having a nonagenarian sibling) and to compare the prevalence of morbidity in their offspring with that of the offsprings' partners. DESIGN: Longitudinal (mortality risk) and cross-sectional (disease prevalence). SETTING: Nationwide sample. PARTICIPANTS: The Leiden Longevity Study consists of 991 nonagenarian siblings derived from 420 Caucasian families, 1,365 of their offspring, and 621 of the offsprings' partners. In the Leiden 85-plus Study, 599 subjects aged 85 were included, of whom 275 attained the age of 90 (sporadic nonagenarians). MEASUREMENTS: All nonagenarian siblings and sporadic nonagenarians were followed for mortality (with a mean±standard deviation follow-up time of 2.7±1.4 years and 3.0±1.5 years, respectively). Information on medical history and medication use was collected for offspring and their partners. RESULTS: Nonagenarian siblings had a 41% lower risk of mortality ( P <.001) than sporadic nonagenarians. The offspring of nonagenarian siblings had a lower prevalence of myocardial infarction (2.4% vs 4.1%, P =.03), hypertension (23.0% vs 27.5%, P =.01), diabetes mellitus (4.4% vs 7.6%, P =.004), and use of cardiovascular medication (23.0% vs 28.9%, P =.003) than their partners. CONCLUSION: The lower mortality rate of nonagenarian siblings and lower prevalence of morbidity in their middle-aged offspring reinforce the notion that resilience against disease and death have similar underlying biology that is determined by genetic or familial factors. |
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Keywords: | nonagenarian siblings offspring longevity morbidity familial |
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