# 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.

## Sources

- Fries JF. (1980). Aging, natural death, and the compression of morbidity. New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198007173030304

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_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/glossary/compression-of-morbidity · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_