Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jul 21.
Published in final edited form as: Popul Dev Rev. 2010;36(4):749–773. doi: 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2010.00356.x

TABLE 1.

Summary of Studies Performing International Comparisons of Medical Treatment at Older Ages

Study Study Population14 Variable Examined US Advantage?* US Advantage
Greater at Older
Ages**
(75+, 80+, 85+)?
Crimmins, Garcia, and Kim (2009) Adults aged 20+ in 4
OECD countries		 Percent of population taking
lipid-lowering drugs		 Yes Mixed
Howard, Richardson, and Thorpe (2009) Adults aged 50+ in 17
OECD countries		 Screening rates:
Breast cancer Yes Yes
Cervical cancer Yes Yes
Colorectal cancer15 Yes Yes
Prostate cancer Yes Yes
Hughes (2003) Patients aged 40+
diagnosed with breast
cancer in 1989-1995 in
9 OECD countries16 		Five-year relative breast cancer
survival rates		 Yes No
Moise (2003) Patients aged 40+
hospitalized for AMI,
1997, in 7 OECD
countries		 Proportion of AMI patients
undergoing CABG and PTCA		 Yes Yes
1996, in 7 OECD
countries17 		One year case fatality rates
from AMI		 Yes Yes
Moon et al (2003) Patients aged 40+
hospitalized with
ischaemic stroke, 1998,
in 9 OECD countries		 7-day hospital fatality rate Males: Mixed
Females: Yes		 Males: Yes
Females: No
in 8 OECD countries18 30-day hospital fatality rate Yes Males: Yes
Females: No
O’Neill and O’Neill (2007) Adults 18+ diagnosed
with high blood
pressure		 Percent receiving treatment Yes No
Adults 18+ diagnosed
with diabetes
in US and Canada		 Percent taking insulin or pills Yes Yes
Technological Change in Health Care Research Network (2001) Patients hospitalized
with AMI, 1989-1998,
in 6 OECD countries
and Israel and Scotland		 Use of cardiac procedures19 Yes Yes
Wolf-Maier et al (2004) Adults aged 35+ in 7
OECD countries20 		Hypertension treatment rates Yes No
*

Ratio of favorable outcomes per person, US versus mean or median of other countries for all ages

**

Ratio of favorable outcomes per person grows with age

14

Based on national probability samples unless otherwise indicated.

15

Colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, and fetal occult bloodtest.

16

Population-based cancer registries and data collected as part of OECD Aging-Related Diseases Study.

17

Data collected as part of OECD Aging-Related Diseases Study.

18

Data collected as part of OECD Aging-Related Diseases Study.

19

This includes cardiac catheterization one year after heart attack, bypass surgery one year after heart attack, and one-day primary angioplasty.

20

All surveys based on national probability sample except for Sweden, which had a regional sample.