How long am I going to live?
Section titled “How long am I going to live?”There's an age-old question! If the ouija board is not your forte, here are several on-line resources to give you a better idea. Each of these gives different information. Be sure to read to the end of this newsletter to understand the limitations of these calculators.
Predicted age at death
Section titled “Predicted age at death”First, I suggest you look at this longevity table. Just look down the column corresponding to your gender, find the row corresponding to your age, and see how many years an average person of your gender and age can expect to live.
An equivalent age that reflects your degree of health
Section titled “An equivalent age that reflects your degree of health”If you know your cholesterol and blood pressure, try this ten minute quiz from MSNBC. Their on-line calculator will tell you what your "real age" is based upon answer to questions about your lifestyle, number of close friends, stressors, exercise, diet, and so on. At the end of the quiz, they will tell you which changes in your lifestyle are likely to benefit you.
Chances of dying of heart disease in the next ten years
Section titled “Chances of dying of heart disease in the next ten years”Here's a somewhat shorter questionnaire. Enter your blood pressure, age, and the answers to a few more questions and this calculator estimates your ten year risk of a heart attack. Important note! The risk estimate is based only on the limited data used! If the calculator took c-reactive protein and other factors into account, it would come up with a more accurate number. They also list detailed recommendations you can use to reduce your risk.
The downside of these next two sites is that you may have to root around their site a while to discover what they mean by "coronary risk" or "heart disease."?
That said, you may want to check out this site from the Medical College of Wisconsin, which estimates your ten year risk of "heart disease."
Ditto for this site which gives a graphical estimate of your risk of "coronary heart disease" within the next ten years, what it could be with optimal lab numbers, and how that compares to the average person.
Limitations of these on-line calculators
Section titled “Limitations of these on-line calculators”These calculators apply more to groups, because of necessity they do not consider every individual factor.
Homocysteine
Section titled “Homocysteine”Our videotape on folic acid goes into great detail about homocysteine, an easily modified risk factor for heart disease and other illness. It shows graphically that homocysteine is an important an indicator of risk of mortality. You may come by our office to view this videotape weekdays between 8 am and 5 pm.
C-reactive Protein
Section titled “C-reactive Protein”This protein rises when our inflammatory system is activated, as with infection and certain forms of arthritis, bowel disease, or other inflammatory conditions.? The higher it is, the greater our risk of death from cardiovascular disease. (If you would like to know what your homocysteine and c-reactive protein levels are, ask for our Comprehensive Cardiovascular Profile.)
Over the long span of human habitation on this planet, guessing how long one would live was probably low on the list of things to worry about. And today, too, perhaps we're better off not getting too caught up in this kind of fantasy. However, many of the risk factors used in the calculators above are under our control. And it is easier to make changes in our habits when we know how it might affect our health and longevity. There are many things we can do to reduce the risk factors mentioned above which will not only reduce our chances of unpleasant and expensive medical interventions, but increase our quality of life now.
If you'd like our help, give us a call.
3/28/04 L