This study was posted in the news section before, but it seems to offer a nice starting point for a separate discussion in Medicine section.
Place and Cause of Death in Centenarians: A Population-Based Observational Study in England, 2001 to 2010
'Old age' was the most common cause of certifying death (28%), followed by pneumonia (18%) and other respiratory diseases (6%); stroke (10%); heart disease (9%) and other circulatory diseases (10%);dementia and Alzheimer's disease (6%); and cancer (4%). Pneumonia accounted for the largest group of hospital deaths, while across non-hospital settings 'old age' formed the largest category followed by pneumonia. Overall, three-quarters of centenarian death certificates stated 'old age' as either an underlying cause (28%) or contributing cause (47%). The main causes of death changed with increasing age. In the group aged 80-85 years, heart disease was stated on 19% of death certificates, with 'old age' on only one per cent of certificates.
http://journals.plos...al.pmed.1001653
For summarized CoD frequencies per age group, see attached image.
It seems that CVD remains a high cause for mortality even in the centenarians at 28%. Two classes of CoD that noticeably increase in oldest age groups are 'old age' and pneumonia.
I assume 'old age' covers general physical and mental frailty, so it might be that some of the brain disorders are categorised as 'old age' instead of AD/dementia.
Your thoughts?