BACKGROUND Mortality rates have been reduced by half over the last 60 years for nonagenarians, and the progress is continuing. The greater survival might be due to overtreatment of severely physically and cognitively disabled individuals which is a big concern for societies and individuals. METHODS The study population comprised two Danish birth cohorts: the 1905 Cohort and the 1915 Cohort. At age 95, all from the two cohorts who were still alive and living in Denmark were invited to participate in a health survey that used the same assessment instrument. A total of 2,670 (56.8%) persons participated in the two surveys and survival was assessed through a 7.3-year follow-up period during which 2,497 (93.5%) had died, and with virtually no loss to follow-up. RESULTS Despite the increasing chance of surviving to age 95, the 1915 Cohort had significantly better health and functioning than the 1905 Cohort. The survival advantage in the 1915 Cohort continued in the follow-up period after age 95: Median survival length was 2.4 months longer, P-value=0.011. This advantage was not statistically associated with different levels of activities of daily living, physical performance, cognitive functioning, self-rated health and life satisfaction. However, the advantage tended to be more pronounced among people with better health. CONCLUSIONS Lifespan and health increases among the oldest old. The improvement in survival for 95-year-olds born in 1915 compared to 1905 was seen across the whole spectrum of health and functioning, with a tendency towards bigger improvement among those in good health.

中文翻译：

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老年人的生存率在健康和功能方面是否有所进步？


背景技术 过去 60 年来，九十多岁老人的死亡率已降低了一半，而且这一进展仍在继续。较高的生存率可能是由于对严重身体和认知障碍的个人的过度治疗，这是社会和个人的一个大问题。方法 研究人群包括两个丹麦出生队列：1905 年队列和 1915 年队列。 95 岁时，这两个队列中仍然活着并居住在丹麦的所有人都被邀请参加使用相同评估工具的健康调查。共有 2,670 人（56.8%）参与了这两项调查，并通过 7.3 年的随访期评估了生存率，期间有 2,497 人（93.5%）死亡，并且几乎没有失访。结果 尽管 1915 年队列活到 95 岁的机会增加，但 1915 年队列的健康和功能明显优于 1905 年队列。 1915 年队列的生存优势在 95 岁后的随访期内继续存在：中位生存长度延长了 2.4 个月，P 值=0.011。这种优势与不同水平的日常生活活动、身体表现、认知功能、自评健康和生活满意度没有统计学相关性。然而，对于健康状况较好的人来说，这种优势往往更为明显。结论 高龄老人的寿命和健康状况有所改善。与 1905 年相比，1915 年出生的 95 岁老人的生存率有所提高，这一点体现在健康和功能的各个方面，其中健康状况良好的人有更大的改善趋势。