8.1: Premature Death
- Page ID
- 55509
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If sudden death happened only at an old age, many wouldn’t mind dying this way. But heart attacks and strokes kill many younger people or leave them severely disabled. The risk of suffering or dying from heart disease goes up dramatically after age 45 for men, and 55 for women. Figure 8.2 shows death rates for some common causes of death among people 25-64 years old.
The aim is to prevent premature death, i.e., before age 75. Don’t be discouraged by such statements as, “Even if all heart disease were prevented, life expectancy would only go up by 3 years.”
Preventing a fatal heart attack in a 45-year-old man who lives to be 66 extends his life by 21 years. But when his extended life is averaged with 6 other people whose ages of death weren’t affected, the average life expectancy is higher by only 3 years (21/3 = 3).