The Phenotypic Characterization of the Cammalleri Sisters, an Example of Exceptional Longevity

Rejuvenation Res. 2020 Dec;23(6):476-484. doi: 10.1089/rej.2019.2299. Epub 2020 May 11.

Abstract

This article shows demographic, clinical, anamnestic, cognitive, and functional data as well as biochemical, genetic, and epigenetic parameters of two exceptional siblings: Diega (supercentenarian) and Filippa (semisupercentenarian) Cammalleri. The purpose of this study is to provide new insights into the extreme phenotypes represented by semisupercentenarians and supercentenarians. Different studies have been published on supercentenarians, but to the best of our knowledge, this is the only concerning two sisters and the most detailed from a phenotypic point of view. Our findings agree with the suggestion that supercentenarians have an increasing relative resistance to age-related diseases, approximating the limits of the functional human reserve to address successfully the acute causes of death. More interestingly, our data agree with, and extend, the suggestion that inflammation and oxidative stress predict centenarian mortality.

Keywords: inflammation; longevity; oxidative stress; semisupercentenarian; supercentenarian.

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cause of Death
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Longevity* / genetics
  • Longevity* / physiology
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Phenotype*
  • Siblings* / psychology