Search

Purpose: A stroke is a debilitating condition that can cause lifelong disability, severely limiting the ability of individuals to perform daily activities. In Japan, strokes are the fourth leading cause of death; however, no previous studies have examined the influence of strokes on a disabled or disability-free life for older Japanese residents. This study aims to address this gap.Methods: The study used data from the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging (NUJLSOA) and incidence-based multistate life tables to estimate disabled and disability-free life expectancy based on the stroke status of Japanese residents aged 65 and older.Results: Japanese stroke survivors aged 65 who experienced an initial disability-free state could expect to live approximately 3 fewer total years of life, 4-5 fewer years in a disability-free state, and 1-2 more years in a disabled state compared to those without history of a stroke (p < 0.05). For those disabled at the beginning of the survey interval, the differences between individuals with and without stroke history were also similar to those disability-free at the beginning of the survey interval (2-4 and 5-6 fewer total and disability-free years, respectively) (p < 0.05). The same pattern was observed for older age groups.Conclusion: Older adults who have experienced a stroke could experience a shorter total life expectancy, shorter disability-free life expectancy, and longer disabled life expectancy than those who have not experienced a stroke. These results can inform policymakers and rehabilitation practitioners on stroke survivor long-term care needs and their post-stroke health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report elucidates the issue of Japan's missing centenarians, which was uncovered in 2010. We provide the latest figures from verification efforts, discuss sources of centenarian information in Japan, examine possible causes, and evaluate the effect of the missing centenarians on official statistics. In Japan 234,354 people registered before 1910 remained on the family registers in 2010, without being crossed out. They would have been 100 years old at least and represent 0.5% of the births recorded between 1872 and 1910. The impact of this group on life expectancy statistics, however, is effectively nil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]