Abstract
There are several methods for measuring healthy or “successful” aging utilizing different measures of comorbidity. Each can lead to different conclusions about how “successfully” one is aging. To bring more clarity, we compared 3,741 American men of Japanese ancestry (mean age 77.8 ± 4.7, range 71–93 years) from the 1991–94 exam of the Kuakini Honolulu Asia Aging Study in a cross-sectional analysis, utilizing the Rowe and Kahn criteria versus a modified Charlson Index. With Rowe and Kahn criteria, 50.4%, 34.3% and 7.3% of men in their 70s, 80s and 90s, were successful agers, respectively (p<0.0001 for age trend). Utilizing a modified Charlson Index, 12.0%, 5.8% and 0.0% of men in their 70s, 80s and 90s, were disease-free successful agers. 49.0%, 58.7%, and 79.7%, had two-plus diseases, respectively (p<0.0001 for age trend). These data suggest that much of the “success” in successful aging depends upon the criteria used to define that success.
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