Cause of death (sorry a bit morbid. Maybe triggering)

[HelloDoggy]

Was reading that the queen's official cause of death was 'old age'. Which got me thinking - what is this? When someone old dies, what actually happens? I always assumed there was something which caused the death like a heart attack, cancer, malnutrition, or something. What does dying by 'old age' actually mean? Surely something in the body must have 'broken'/'stopped working'? Why isn't that something noted as the cause of death?

Age can't kill you surely. It must be the consequence of aging that kill you?

Why is this triggering ? Is someone out there unaware the queen died?

I don't know what my Grandmother's actual cause of death was listed as, but I'd always sort of assumed it was 'old age' - she didn't have any specific disease but was very frail and had been for years and spent most of her time sleeping so I always imagine her body had just sort of eventually given out. Come to think of it my great uncle who passed away quite recently and was the last relative I had of that generation was similar, no specific illness that I'm aware of, spent most of the day asleep, body just slowing down until it stopped I think. But then I have no medical background so maybe that's not the case at all in fact.

I've often thought this about the mind - and also with people who go do have a specific illness too but who hang on for a key date like an anniversary or a loved one's wedding but then die not too long afterwards.

Very old bodies can just wear out.

In recent months, she was very tiny and frail, had shrunk height and lost weight, was walking with a stick if at all, tired easily or feeling weak (cancelled planned meetings etc) . All of which suggest her digestive system was absorbing fewer nutrients which is common in old age. At that stage it doesn't take very much for the heart and lung function to slow right down until there's not enough oxygen reaching the brain and they just fade out. Very peaceful.

My gran had this on her death certificate -old age. She was 99. It definitely wasn’t heart failure. It was her kidneys that started to fail first -but they’re just part of the system if organs that “fail” as you start the dying process.

A good way to go anyway. I’ll choose that death any day

There's nothing covered up or mysterious about the Queens death. Like the old car mentioned, she just wore out. She had been visibly diminishing over the years and that seemed to speed up rapidly when Philip died. She was 96. She had lived a long and full life

Yes if you're over 80 old age is a totally valid cause if death IF there was no other significant recent medical history. If a doctor hasn't seen the deceased within the 28 days preceding death then the coroner would get involved, but that wouldn't necessarily mean a post mortem would be performed.
I'd be totally happy to have old age as my cause of death! We see it a lot on death registrations. Of course, someone may have declined due to an undiagnosed cancer or other illness, but at an advanced age is it really necessary for their family to know for sure, by delaying a funeral and carrying out invasive tests on their deceased loved one?

Of course you do. Advanced Alzheimer's means you can't swallow or eat. It's not an unusual cause of death. 💐

Who do we feel the need to know the queen's cause of death? That should be private to her and her family. How would you like everyone poring over your Gran's death cert?

Back in the dark ages when I was doing lots of death certificates as a junior doctor "old age" or similar was not permitted. You had to give some pathology as the cause of death even when it was fairly obvious that an elderly person had just naturally reached the end of their lives and was basically just "worn out". Bronchopneumonia or ischaemic heart disease were regularly given as causes of death in those circumstances. How accurate that was, I couldn't say, but without doing post mortems on lots of very old people, with no real benefit to them, their families or society there is no way of knowing.
And in fact even a post mortem isn't guaranteed to give you the full story. As a pathologist colleague of mine was always very fond of quoting " A post mortem will tell you what the patient died with but not necessarily what they died of." Meaning that there might be various abnormal findings at post mortem, but you can't always tell which of them actually led directly to death. Or indeed if one thing did - it could well be a combination of things, and probably often is, especially in elderly people with multiple long term conditions.
I think the change to allow old age was a sensible one, as you do get generally healthy elderly people who just die because they've reached the end of their natural life span, without any obvious final illness. There are however specific conditions that need to be met before this can be given as the sole cause of death and I agree that it seems a bit questionable whether they were met in the Queen's case. However, that is a matter for the doctor who signed the certificate and the registrar who registered the death, and only her medical attendants and close family will have all the information so there's not really much point in speculating.

My MIL died aged 96 of 'old age'. She had no medical issues, she was just old, tired and frail. She was poorly for 2 days before she died. The Dr said it could have been any number of things but essentially her body just got to the end.

Yes me too

I think I remember that Harold Shipman recorded one or two deaths as old age. But really, I don’t know why these things have to be public
for anybody let alone the queen.

I’ve known of two over-90s who’d had no actual health problems, who were just found to have died in their sleep. So technically I dare say they died of heart failure, as a result of old age.
Great way to go, if you can manage it!

I don't need to know the queen's cause of death. It just made me think about cause of death more generally, which is what the thread is about

They basically reported she was gravely Ill a few hours before they announced she was dead. So it was something else and they aren’t saying

Not necessarily. My Gran died of old age & the care home she was in called us to come in. She was pretty unresponsive when we were there but we had enough notice to get there. The staff knew the signs. Probably was the same with The Queen

We are not immortal so a 96 year old woman heart just stopping or organs failing is dying with old age, I thought it was "lovely " that HM died of old age.

Thanks agingdoc, helpful to know

I am glad they have put this as it almost seems more of a human way to put it. Tbh I list a little bit of faith in death certificates when my uncle's was recorded as covid and he had tested negative!

I think old age is a nice way of saying no chronic or acute medical conditions. Just overall slow down of everything after a long time living.

All I can see, was at the Platinum Jubilee, Our Queen was only able to do some of the celebrations with us. Remember, she nearly didn't appear on the balcony at the end, but then showed up in an emerald outfit. She looked like the Queen always did, but the next time we saw her was with the new PM and she looked very frail all of a sudden. I didn't think she was going to die, but she looked very frail. Thank God Anne and King Charles got there in time

I think for somebody over 90 that is explanation enough. At 74 though you'd expect more detail.

I think it's right not to do Post Mortems on very elderly people to establish (if possible) the exact cause of death.

My Mum died suddenly at 76, PM established death from Pneumonia. Great way to go, was obviously instant and "easy" judging by the way she was found.

If she'd been 90+ I'd not expect or want a PM to have been carried out.

She was really not happy with the Truss appointment then....