Since the 1990s, there have been numerous advancements in healthcare, resulting in an increase in the average number of healthy years for persons living with chronic health disorders.
Researchers used longitudinal data from the Cognitive Function and Aging Studies to estimate disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) trends for older people with a variety of health conditions, identifying the conditions that resulted in the greatest improvement in DFLE and describing the contribution of the underlying transitions in a recent study. The study includes two large population-based studies (CFAS I and II) in England with participants aged 65 and up.
According to researchers, men increased 4.6 years of life expectancy between 1991 and 2011, while women gained 2.1 years. Men gained 3.7 years and women gained 2 years in terms of disability-free life expectancy. Respiratory issues, Stroke, Arthritis, Coronary heart disease (CHD), and Diabetes were all mentioned in the study as chronic health conditions that resulted in additional years of disability-free living.
The chief medical officer, Richard Pitts, DO, Ph.D., attributes America’s lower life expectancy to socioeconomic and health imbalances, as well as a lack of universal safety net programs that offer access to the things individuals need most for good health, such as housing and healthcare.
Pitts added that “People with long-term health conditions are even more greatly impacted by those inequities because they have many barriers in accessing education and gainful employment.”
After analyzing the research findings, Pitts ascribed general improvements in the management of diabetes and other chronic health diseases, as well as the causes for increased life expectancy without handicap, to the following:
- Technological and medical equipment advancements,
- Early detection,
- Diagnosis, and monitoring are all important,
- Lifestyle and eating habits changes,
- Medication.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
