Other Medical Conditions

It has been known for over a hundred years that serious medical conditions affect life expectancy. Some of the more common conditions are:

• Hypertension, atherosclerosis, history of heart attacks
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Cerebrovascular accidents (stroke)
• Chronic renal insufficiency
• Diabetes mellitus
• Cancer

Other negative factors for life expectancy include:

• Race: Non-Caucasian
• Education: High school education or less
• Lifestyle: Current or former smoker, excessive use of alcohol
• Overweight

However, there are also positive factors for life expectancy, such as:

• Race: Caucasian or Hispanic
• Education: Bachelors degree or higher
• Lifestyle: Non-smoker, moderate use of alcohol
• Religion: Mormon or Jehovah's Witness
• Being slightly below average weight

It is desirable to take into account all major risk factors, both positive and negative. This is possible using standard actuarial methods, together with information from the medical literature.