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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2016)
4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016 US life expectancy falls, as kinds of death increase WARRENTON KIA By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK — A decades- long trend of rising life expec- tancy in the U.S. could be end- ing: It declined last year and it is no better than it was four years ago. In most of the years since World War II, life expectancy in the U.S. has inched up, thanks to medical advances, public health campaigns and better nutrition and education. But last year it slipped, an exceedingly rare event in a year that did not include a major disease outbreak. Other one- year declines occurred in 1993, when the nation was in the throes of the AIDS epidemic, and 1980, the result of an espe- cially nasty flu season. In 2015, rates for eight of the 10 leading causes of death rose. Even more troubling to health experts: the U.S. seems to be settling into a trend of no improvement at all. “With four years, you’re starting to see some indication of something a little more omi- nous,” said S. Jay Olshansky, a University of Illinois-Chicago public health researcher. Almost 79 years An American born in 2015 is expected to live 78 years and 9½ months, on average, accord- ing to preliminary data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An American born in 2014 could expect to live about month longer, and even an American born in 2012 would have been expected to live slightly longer. In 1950, life expectancy was just over 68 years. The United States ranks below dozens of other high-in- come countries in life expec- tancy, according to the World Bank. It is highest in Japan, at nearly 84 years. The CDC report is based mainly on 2015 death certif- icates. There were more than 2.7 million deaths, or about 86,000 more than the previous year. The increase in raw num- bers partly reflects the nation’s CAR Katy Kildee/The Saginaw News This Monday, Jan. 25, 2016 photo shows a room inside a funeral home in Saginaw, Mich. According to a study by the government released today, life expectancy in the Unit- ed States has fallen for the first time in more than 20 years. ‘With four years, you’re starting to see some indication of something a little more ominous.’ S. Jay Olshansky a University of Illinois-Chicago public health researcher growing and aging population. It was led by an unusual upturn in the death rate from the nation’s leading killer, heart dis- ease. Death rates also increased for chronic lower lung disease, accidental injuries, stroke, Alz- heimer’s disease, diabetes, kid- ney disease and suicide. The only clear drop was in cancer, the nation’s No. 2 killer. Obesity may factor in Experts aren’t sure what’s behind the stall. Some, like Olshansky, suspect obesity, an underlying factor in some of the largest causes of death, particu- larly heart disease. But there’s also the impact of rising drug overdoses and suicides, he noted. “There are a lot of things happening at the same time,” he said. Some years the CDC later revises its life expectancy esti- mate after doing additional analysis, including for its 2014 estimate. Average life expectancy declined for men, falling by more than two months, to 76 years and 3 ½ months in 2015. It fell by about one month for women, to 81 years and 2 ½ months, the CDC said. Death rates increased for black men, white men, white women, and slightly for His- panic men and women. But they did not change for black women. The new CDC report did not offer a geographic break- down of 2015 deaths, or analy- sis of death based on education or income. But other research has shown death rates are rising sharply for poorer people — particularly white people — in rural areas but not wealthier and more highly educated and peo- ple on the coasts. “The troubling trends are most pronounced for the peo- ple who are the most disad- vantaged,” said Jennifer Karas Montez, a Syracuse University researcher who studies adult death patterns. “But if we don’t know why life expectancy is decreas- ing for some groups, we can’t be confident that it won’t start declining for others,” she said. COM ING IN FEBR UAR Y! 2017 ED ITIO N of th e a w a rd-w in n in g publica tion from th e publish ers of Coa st W eeken d SALE! D ECEMBER 8-10 9 AM -7 PM Ent to Win er $500 V a Gift Ca isa rd! 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