Clinical and Geriatric Profiles of Centenarians Living in Long-Term Care Facilities in Martinique, a Validated Blue Zone, and Neighboring Guadeloupe (French Caribbean Islands)

Martinique has recently been described as one of the world’s five “Blue Zones” of longevity, while the status of Guadeloupe remains to be established. This study described the observed proportion and clinical and geriatric profiles of centenarians living in sampled long-term care settings in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Data from two observational cohorts of nursing home ( n = 332) and foster family residents ( n = 107) were pooled. Among 439 participants, 13 (3.0%) were centenarians (mean age 102.1 ± 2.4 years; 76.9% women). Compared with younger residents (mean age 80.8 ± 9.8 years), centenarians had similar prevalences of major comorbidities and polypharmacy, but greater functional impairment and poorer physical performance. One-year mortality was higher among centenarians (58.3% vs. 21.4%; p = 0.002). In long-term care settings, exceptional longevity was characterized by greater functional impairment and mortality without a greater burden of major chronic diseases.