Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Haybittle, J. L
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Haybittle, J. L
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1998 Oxford University Press

research-article

The use of the Gompertz function to relate changes in life expectancy to the standardized mortality ratio

John L Haybittle

MRC Cancer Thals Office 5 Shaftesbury Road. Cambridge CB2 2BW, UK

BACKGROUND: Change in life expectancy may be more readily appreciated by a lay person as a measure of risk than the standardized mortality ratio (SMR).

METHODS: The linear increase in the logarithm of the age-specific mortality rates with age (the Gompertz ftmction) is used to deduce formulae connecting SMR with change in life expectancy. Their validity is checked by a comparison between the 1992 and 1952 mortality data for England and Wales, and between smokers and non-smokers in the American Cancer Society's second Cancer Prevention Study.

RESULTS: It is shown that the Gompertz function is a good fit to mortality data for England and Wales from age 30 years upwards. Changes in life expectancy at ages 15, 25, 45 and 65 are presented for values of SMR from 0.5 to 3. A very simple formula connecting the two is valid at ages 15 and 25, and provides a reasonable approx imation at age 45.

CONCLUSIONS: The Gompertz relationship can be used to calculate the change in life expectancy corresponding to a particular SMR over a greater range than have previous methods, and, although subject to some uncertainties, can provide a quick method of judging the change in life expectancy that is associated with a given SMR value.

Keywords Gompertz, standardized mortality ratio, life expectancy

Accepted 9 March 1998


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 CirculationHome page
W. C. Levy, K. L. Lee, A. S. Hellkamp, J. E. Poole, D. Mozaffarian, D. T. Linker, A. P. Maggioni, I. Anand, P. A. Poole-Wilson, D. P. Fishbein, et al.
Maximizing Survival Benefit With Primary Prevention Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy in a Heart Failure Population
Circulation, September 8, 2009; 120(10): 835 - 842.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur J Heart FailHome page
W. C. Levy, D. Mozaffarian, D. T. Linker, K. W. Kenyon, J. G.F. Cleland, M. Komajda, W. J. Remme, C. Torp-Pedersen, M. Metra, P. A. Poole-Wilson, et al.
Years-needed-to-treat to add 1 year of life: a new metric to estimate treatment effects in randomized trials
Eur J Heart Fail, March 1, 2009; 11(3): 256 - 263.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
L. S Ishihara, A. Cheesbrough, C. Brayne, and A. Schrag
Estimated life expectancy of Parkinson's patients compared with the UK population
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, December 1, 2007; 78(12): 1304 - 1309.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Epidemiol. Community HealthHome page
R. Roman, M. Comas, L. Hoffmeister, and X. Castells
Determining the lifetime density function using a continuous approach
J Epidemiol Community Health, October 1, 2007; 61(10): 923 - 925.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Epidemiol. Community HealthHome page
P B S Silcocks, D A Jenner, and R Reza
Life expectancy as a summary of mortality in a population: statistical considerations and suitability for use by health authorities
J Epidemiol Community Health, January 1, 2001; 55(1): 38 - 43.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Int J EpidemiolHome page
D. Lai, F. Guo, and R. J Hardy
Standardized mortality ratio and life expectancy: a comparative study of Chinese mortality
Int. J. Epidemiol., October 1, 2000; 29(5): 852 - 855.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.