Stroke Survivors Aged 50 or Older See Life Expectancy Gains

TOPLINELife expectancy at age 50 years among individuals with a history of stroke increased by approximately 3 years between 1996 and 2018, outpacing gains in the general population.METHODOLOGYResearchers analyzed longitudinal data from a nationally representative survey in the US that followed up adults aged 50 years or older over time. The analysis included 39,084 individuals, with data available between 1996 and 2018.Stroke status was reported by participants based on whether a doctor had ever diagnosed them with a stroke, with baseline stroke referring to any stroke history reported at the first interview within each observation period: 1996-2006 and 2008-2018.Incident stroke in participants aged 50-108 years was defined as any report of stroke in the subsequent survey wave.The researchers estimated changes in life expectancy starting at age 50 for people with and without a history of stroke.The results were analyzed separately for men and women and compared between the two observation periods.TAKEAWAYIn men with a baseline stroke history, life expectancy at age 50 years was 16.54 years from 1996 to 2006 and 19.92 years from 2008 to 2018. In women with a baseline stroke history over the two periods, life expectancy at age 50 years was 18.92 years and 21.44 years, respectively.For people with a history of stroke at baseline, overall life expectancy at age 50 years increased by 3.05 years (95% CI, 1.66-4.44) between 1996-2006 and 2008-2018. In the general population, the increase was 1.10 years (95% CI, 0.61-1.59).Among stroke survivors, men gained 3.38 years and women gained 2.52 years. Men and women from the average population gained 1.66 years and 0.58 years, respectively.Having a history of stroke was associated with a higher risk for mortality in men (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.67; 95% CI, 1.51-1.86) and women (aHR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.64-2.02) than not having a history. Incident stroke during follow-up was also linked to an elevated risk for mortality.IN PRACTICE“[The] study provides the first multistate life expectancy estimates for stroke survivors in the United States across two distinct periods at a population level after age 50, drawing on over 200,000 person-observations from the HRS [Health and Retirement Study],” the researchers of the study wrote.SOURCEThe study was led by Octavio Bramajo, PhD, of the Institute for Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland. It was published online on July 11, 2026, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.LIMITATIONSIn this survey-based study, participants self-reported their stroke status, which may introduce inaccuracies. The age or date of the original stroke and whether it was ischemic or hemorrhagic were not recorded. The study also did not assess the severity of the stroke or the number of strokes participants had.DISCLOSURESThe National Institute on Aging provided funding for this study. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.