Life Expectancy News and Research

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Life expectancy is the expected (in the statistical sense) number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by e''x'', which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged ''x'', according to a particular mortality experience.

Wealth inequality drives higher US mortality compared to Europe

Comparing wealth and survival rates in the U.S. with those in Europe, researchers found that over a 10-year period, Americans across all wealth levels were more likely to die than their European counterparts.

3 Apr 2025

Virtual reality offers new approach for early Alzheimer's detection

Most people donning virtual reality (VR) goggles are seeking the thrill of being immersed in a fictitious video game world. But some are donning them for an entirely different experience: to help researchers identify those most at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

1 Apr 2025

Study reveals significant racial and sex disparities in drug overdose mortality rates

A recent study from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health reveals significant racial and sex disparities in drug overdose mortality rates.

1 Apr 2025

NIH funds research to develop a game-changing HIV diagnostic tool

As of the end of 2023, nearly 40 million people worldwide were living with HIV, including approximately 1.2 million in the United States.

1 Apr 2025

Five lifestyle changes by 50 can add a decade to your life, global study finds

Study estimates the global lifetime risk and benefits of modifying cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, smoking, and obesity by age 50, showing significant improvements in both life expectancy and quality of life. It highlights the importance of early intervention and midlife changes in preventing cardiovascular disease and mortality.

31 Mar 2025

Expanded access to anti-obesity medications could boost life expectancy and save society billions

A new USC Schaeffer Center white paper finds expanded access to anti-obesity medications would lead to significant increases in life expectancy and disease-free years while generating a substantial societal return on investment, even after accounting for treatment costs.

27 Mar 2025

Digital PCR can reliably quantify stable deep molecular remission of chronic myeloid leukemia

Researchers have found that the clinical application of BCR::ABL1 digital PCR can reliably quantify stable deep molecular remission of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which will help to determine for which patients chronic drug treatment could potentially be discontinued.

27 Mar 2025

Machine learning helps predict early mortality in IBD patients

Almost half of people who died with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) died prematurely, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241117 that used machine learning models to predict death.

24 Mar 2025

Regaining some weight after bariatric surgery still offers health protection

Having lost a great deal of weight appears to offer some protection against ill health even for those who have regained some of their weight loss.

21 Mar 2025

Amid plummeting diversity at medical schools, a warning of DEI crackdown’s ‘chilling effect’

The Trump administration's crackdown on DEI programs could exacerbate an unexpectedly steep drop in diversity among medical school students, even in states like California, where public universities have been navigating bans on affirmative action for decades.

20 Mar 2025

Study highlights disparities in osteoporosis diagnosis across demographics

While increased average life expectancy is a testament to modern medicine and public health efforts, an aging population comes with an increased presence of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis.

19 Mar 2025

Tribal health leaders say Medicaid cuts would decimate health programs

As Congress mulls potentially massive cuts to federal Medicaid funding, health centers that serve Native American communities, such as the Oneida Community Health Center near Green Bay, Wisconsin, are bracing for catastrophe.

19 Mar 2025

COVID-19 cut millions of healthy life years across Europe, study shows

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a staggering 16.8 million person-years of life lost across 18 European countries, with nearly 60% of those years expected to be lived without disability. The research highlights both direct COVID-19 deaths and indirect impacts like healthcare disruptions and rising non-COVID mortality.

16 Mar 2025

Dementia risk higher among adults with HIV in Malawi

Adults living with HIV in Malawi are more than twice as likely to also have dementia compared to those without HIV, according to a new study by a team of US and Malawian researchers.

12 Mar 2025

COVID-19 pandemic caused significant loss of disability-free life in Europe

Among 289 million adults in 18 European countries, more than 16 million years of life were lost from 2020 through 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study published March 11th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Sara Ahmadi-Abhari of Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues.

11 Mar 2025

Millions in US live in places where doctors don’t practice and telehealth doesn’t reach

Green lights flickered on the wireless router in Barbara Williams' kitchen. Just one bar lit up — a weak signal connecting her to the world beyond her home in the Alabama Black Belt.

10 Mar 2025

Low semen quality linked to shorter lifespan

Researchers determine how low semen quality may impact mortality risk.

10 Mar 2025

Study reveals growing divide in cardiovascular health in the U.S.

A study published March 6 in The Lancet Regional Health - Americas highlights a growing divide in cardiovascular health in the U.S., showing that wealth and education play a significant role in heart disease risk.

8 Mar 2025

Environmental research effort aims to improve health in Houston's vulnerable neighborhoods

Garett Sansom, DrPH, and Lindsay Sansom, PhD, with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, have been named principal investigator and co-principal investigator of a new, one-year effort funded by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Gulf Research Program to evaluate soil conditions in two northeast Houston neighborhoods and foster community engagement by local residents.

7 Mar 2025

New MS research harnessing the brain's healing power

A new multiple sclerosis (MS) research project designed to help the brain repair itself by activating its own healing processes has been announced as part of MS Australia's latest $5.7 million research investment.

5 Mar 2025