Telegragph: Numbers of elderly men to surge

In some regions the proportion of men aged 65 and over will almost double by 2031 compared to 2006 – much faster than the increase in elderly women.

Doctors said that more exercise among men, less smoking – and the impact of Viagra – was leading to a dramatic narrowing of life expectancy between the sexes.

Overall, the numbers of people aged 65 and over is predicted to rise by nearly two-thirds by 2031, according to the Office for National Statistics' 42nd Regional Trends study, to reach 15.8 million. More than one in five will be that age.

But the number of elderly men is rising faster than that of elderly women.

In the East Midlands, projections indicate there will be 90 per cent more men aged 65 and over by 2031, compared to 69 per cent more women. In the East region the figures are 83 and 66 per cent respectively.

Dr Ian Banks, a GP and president of the Men's Health Forum, said Britain was starting to see the effects of a "cultural change" in male health, particularly in richer areas.

Better off men were now more likely to go to the doctor than before, much less likely to smoke and more likely to continue taking exercise as they got older.

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