Study shows survivors sicker but longer-lived than native-born Israelis

Survivors of the Holocaust who came to live in Israel suffer from higher rates of high blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer, and other maladies than others their age who were born in Israel – but their overall life span – 80 years vs. 75 for native-born Israelis – is longer, a new study by an Israeli health fund shows.

“The study shows that on average Holocaust survivors suffer more from chronic diseases than native-born Israelis, although the gap is not particularly large,” said Professor Nachman Ash, health division director at Maccabee Health Services and a professor at Ariel University. “But as far as why survivors live longer on average, we have no explanation.”

There have been numerous studies over the years that examined the incidence of trauma, depression, and other mental conditions that are known to have plagued Holocaust survivors, both during the war period and after, said Ash. “We wanted to examine whether or not survivors suffered from more disease than non-survivors, based on their health records.”

To do that, researchers examined the health records of 80,000 individuals (living and dead) born between 1919 and 1945. Half the study’s subjects were born in Palestine, and the others were born and lived in Europe, immigrating to Israel only after the Holocaust. The study took into account each patient’s complete medical history, regardless of when they contracted a disease or began suffering from a chronic condition.

In almost all categories examined, the survivor cohort suffered more than the native-born Israelis. The most significant difference between the two groups involved those suffering from high blood pressure; according to the records, 31,804 survivors were treated for hypertension, compared to 25,189 native-born Israelis. Weight, too, was a bigger problem for survivors; 13,143 were overweight or obese, compared to 10,172 of the native-born Israelis. Kidney disease was also an area where survivors needed more treatment; 18,323 survivors suffered from renal failure, compared to 11,931 native-born Israelis.

There were also differences, albeit less dramatic ones, in the other categories examined; 12,838 survivors were treated for diabetes, compared to 11,079 native-borns, while 16,879 survivors were treated for osteoporosis, compared to 15,158 native-borns. There was just a slight difference in the numbers for cancer; in the past decade, 7,477 survivors were treated for any form of cancer, compared to 6,886 native-born Israelis.

Despite the higher incidence of disease, survivors lived longer than native-born Israelis – 79.5 years, vs. 75.4 years. Speculating on the reason for this, Ash said that it was possible that their formative experiences had “toughened” survivors’ bodies and will to live. “We have no explanation for this phenomenon, but one could imagine that we are talking about individuals who, because they were able to survive in the wake of terrible suffering, are able to continue surviving when hit by disease,” he added.