Socioeconomic differentials and disease-free life expectancy of the elderly in Brazil

The objective of this study was to estimate life expectancy with and without a specific chronic disease among the Brazilian elderly population, by sex and socioeconomic factors, for the years 1998 and 2008. Life expectancy with and without hypertension, diabetes, bronchitis/asthma, and heart disease were calculated using the Sullivan method and prevalence estimates from data collected in the two years through the Brazilian National Household Survey (PNAD). Hypertension was the chronic disease with the largest effect on life expectancy. Among socioeconomic determinants, education proved more relevant than income. Having more years of education increased the average healthy time. Socioeconomic inequality negatively affected the health of women more than men. Despite the social changes in Brazil in recent decades with a reduction in inequality and poverty, the effect of socioeconomic inequality in the country on the health status of the elderly remains evident.