Is age alone a good predictor of life expectancy?
A. Early in life, chronologic age is a reasonably good predictor of life expectancy, but not at older ages. This is due to the increased heterogeneity, or increasing differences between individuals, that comes with aging. Physiologic age, sometimes called “biologic age” is a better predictor. Physiologic age takes into account individual differences in health history, habits, risk factors, and functional status. Physical and cognitive measures of functional status are excellent predictors of morbidity in the elderly. Morbidity, in turn, is a strong predictor of mortality at older ages. Q. What are some of the signs of “normal” aging? A. In general, people lose their ability to adapt well to change, essentially all types of change. The body’s reserve which is needed to fight infection or other types of stress declines. The ability of most organs to function normally, including the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, muscles and immune system, gradually decreases over time. In terms of mental
