Effects of Aging on Major Organ Systems
“Biologically speaking, aging—or senescence, which more accurately depicts the processes occurring from a biological standpoint—is a chronic, normal culmination of the loss of specific regenerative and bioprotective mechanisms that occur over time in an organism" (Flint and Tadi, 2023).
Aging brings about physiological alterations in every organ system. Arteriosclerosis develops, blood pressure rises, and cardiac output falls. The lungs exhibit reduced vital capacity, delayed expiratory flow rates, and compromised gas exchange.
Because there is a proportional age-related decline in creatinine synthesis, the creatinine clearance decreases with age while the serum creatinine level stays essentially constant. Senescence is associated with functional alterations in the gastrointestinal tract, mostly linked to altered motility patterns. Additionally, atrophic gastritis and altered hepatic drug metabolism are frequent in the elderly. Age-related increases in blood glucose are multifactorial and often result in osteoporosis since bone density decreases linearly beyond the age of forty.
As we age, our skin's epidermis thins and loses its suppleness and tone as a result of alterations in collagen and elastin. As people age, their lean body mass decreases, mostly because of muscle cell loss and atrophy. Many joints have degenerative changes, which when paired with muscle loss, make it difficult for older individuals to move around.
These age-related changes have significant practical ramifications for the clinical management of elderly patients: there is a need for logical preventive programs of diet and exercise to delay or reverse some of these changes; metabolism is altered; drug dosages must change due to changes in response to commonly used medications; and so on.
“It is essential to recognize that aging involves a great deal of interplay between lifestyle and genetics. An individual who maintains a healthy lifestyle, has access to adequate, routine medical care and screenings, and enters into late adulthood with a clean bill of health will experience a vastly different aging process than someone who is sedentary, makes poor diet and lifestyle choices, and has lived with chronic disease before and upon entry into late adulthood” (Flint and Tadi, 2023).
Our personal choices are a direct correlation between aging well or aging poorly. May we all learn the importance of choosing wisely.
References
Kevin Patton. (2020). Structure & Function of the Body (16th Edition). Elsevier
Flint B, Tadi P. Physiology, Aging. [Updated 2023 Jan 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island
(FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from:
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