On the age validation of supercentenarians

Abstract

As age inaccuracy was often observed in past populations, and is still commonly observed today in populations without efficient civil registration, age validation is essential to all scientific research on longevity in demography, genetics, epidemiology, and medicine. Thoms, in 1873, was probably the first scientist who pointed out that the ages of most centenarians were effectively exaggerated. To address this problem, Thoms introduced strict rules for researchers to follow when validating ages. Even today, these strict rules are still not being systematically applied, although some authors have recently proposed precise classifications for the level of age validation. In this chapter, we will look at some of the ways age validation is currently being conducted in different settings, and we will then present details on the age validation of some recent supercentenarians, including several exemplary cases of invalidation.