Compression of morbidity

Compression of morbidity is a concept introduced by James Fries in 1980. It describes a scenario where the onset of chronic disease and disability is pushed back faster than lifespan grows. So your serious illness gets squeezed into a shorter period at the very end of life. It is a guiding goal of geroscience and healthspan-focused medicine. But the empirical evidence is mixed. In some populations, morbidity has compressed; in others, it has expanded as lifespan rose.

Last reviewed: June 22, 2026

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