Health and Disease at the Age of Sixty

A health investigation was performed among 331 men aged 60 years in Uppsala. The investigation was performed in the same way as in 50-year-old men (n = 2322) in the same community, previously described. Thus it was possible to make certain comparisons between these two populations of middle-aged men. A considerably higher morbidity, given as point prevalence, was found for diseases of the cardiovascular system and of the endocrine organs, in the older population compared with the younger. Parallel to this a higher consumption of pharmaceuticals was reported by the older men. Only 39% among the older men versus 51% of the younger men were smokers. Nearly the same number (two-thirds) of men in both age groups were without codable ECG abnormalities in their resting ECG. Among the older men, however, there were more subjects having multiple pathological ECG findings than in the younger age group. It is concluded that it is possible to reach approximately 80% of the actual population in special health investigations, in middle-aged men. Future studies, preferably in younger subjects, should aim at an early detection and primary prevention of cardiovascular and endocrine diseases.