PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES WITH AGING

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PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES WITH AGING
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Senescence

• all postmaturational changes and the increasing
  vulnerability individuals face as a result of
  these changes.
• The group of effects that lead to a decreasing
  expectation of life with increasing age

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Sencescence, contd

• Differs from other biological processes
• Its characteristics are universal
• Changes come from within the individual
• Associated processes occur gradually
• Changes have a deleterious effect on the invidual

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UltimatelyYou Die.U.S. Death Rates

• Leading cause among OAs--heart disease
• Higher for older men than for older women
• Higher for African Americans than whites

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Age-Related Physiological Changes

• all people age, but not at the same rate

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At age 75, the average person, compared to age 30

• 92 of brain weight
• 84 of basal metabolism
• 70 kidney filtration rate
• 43 of maximul breathing capacity
• We are not the people we once were!

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CHANGES IN THE SKIN

• To most people, the condition of the skin, hair,
  and connective tissue collectively represents the
  ultimate indicator of age. (Kart Kinney, p.
  74)

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SKIN Wrinkling

• Muscles of the face are capable of tremendous
  movement. Smiles, laughter, frowns,
  disappointment, ager, rage, and surprise are all
  recorded. The hand of time captures these
  expressions and outlines them on the face.By the
  age of 40, most people bear the typical lines of
  their expressions. (Kart Kinney, p. 75)

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SKIN--Wrinkling

• Loss of subcutaneous fat
• gt vulnerability to pressure sores
• less insulation of body to cold (also affected by
  diminished blood flow to skin extremities)
  heat

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SKIN NAILS

• Atrophic changes in sweat glands
• Thickened fingernails toenails
• Generalized loss of body hair and head hair
• Decrease in of functioning pigment-producing
  cells--gtgraying
• Some remaining pigment cells enlarge--gt age
  spots
• Skin changes increase. vulnerability to
  infections/disorders

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SKELETOMUSCULAR SYSTEM CHANGES

• Arthritis allied bone and muscular conditions
  are among the most common of all disorders
  afffecting people 65 years of age and over.
  (Kart Kinney, p. 76)
• Arthritis A generic term that refers to an
  inflammation or degenerative change in a joint
• Occurs world wide is one of the oldest known
  diseases

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ARTHRITIS

• Osteoarthritis
• Cause not known
• Also referred to as degenerative joint disease
• A gradual wearing away of joint cartilage that
  results in the exposure of rough underlying bone
  ends
• Can do damage to internal ligaments
• Most commonly associated w/ weight bearing jnts

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• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• A chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease of
  connective tissue
• 2-3 times more common among women than men
• currently viewed as an autoimmune disease
• may occur at any age -- most common onset between
  20 50

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Musculoskeltal, contd

• Osteopenia --gt Osteoporosis
• Gradual loss of bone that reduces skeltal mass
  without disrupting the proportions of minerals
  organic materials
• For many, it is asymptomatic
• Bones most critically involved vertebra, wrist,
  hip

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Musculoskeletal, contd

• Sarcopenia
• Loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging
• Cause not completely understood
• Preventable/reversible with regular physical
  activity

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GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM

• Atophy of secretion mechanisms
• Decreasing motility of the gut
• Loss of strength/tone of muscular tissue
  supporting structures
• Changes in neurosensory feedback
• Enzyme hormone release
• Innervation of the tract
• Diminished response to pain internal sensations

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• The phenomenon of referral is common in the
  GI--I.e. signs symptoms often associated with
  one part of the tract may actually be associated
  with another part of the tract. Discomfort
  perceived as originating in the stomach may
  actually be coming from the lower GI tract. (p.
  79)
• The GI symptoms often have their origins in
  psychosocial factors

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CARDOPULMONARY SYSTEM

• In the absence of disease, the heart tends to
  maintain its size
• Heart valves tend to increase in thickness with
  age
• BP tends to go up with age
• Systolic stabilizes at about age 75
• Diastolic stabilizes at about 65 then may
  gradually decline

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Atherosclerosis vs. Arteriosclerosis

• Atherosclerosis
• Developed by an overwhelming of people in
  industrialized nations
• A narrowing of arterial passageways as a result
  of the development of plaques on their interior
  walls
• Reduces the size of the passageway--even to the
  pt of closing it off. A cause of ischemic heart
  tissue (tissue deprived of adequate blood supply)

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• Arteriosclerosis
• A generic term referring to the loss of
  elasticity of arterial walls
• Often referred to as hardening of the arteries
• Considered a general aging phenomenon

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Respiratory Changes

• Airways tissues become less elastic more
  rigid with age
• Osteoporosis may alter the size/shape of the
  chest cavity
• Power of respiratory abdominal muscles becomes
  reduced--hinders diaphramatic movement

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URINARY SYSTEM

• The bladder of an elderly person has a capacity
  of less than half (250ml) that of a young adult
  (600 ml) and often contains as much as 100 ml of
  residual urine. (p. 81)
• Micturation reflex is delayed-- usually activated
  when bladder is half full in OAs, not until
  bladder is nearly at capacity

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GENITAL SYSTEM CHANGES

• The genital system is characterized by a number
  of age-related changes in physiology and anatomy.
  On the whole, very few age-specific disorders
  are associated with this body system. With the
  exception of declining levels of testosterone,
  most of the problems of sexuality and aging are
  sociogenic or psychogenic. (p. 83)

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Female genital tract

• External genitalia
• Folds become less pronounced
• Skin becomes thinner
• Vasculariy elasticity decrease
• Becomes more susceptible to tissue trauma
  itching
• of glands decreas, as does level of secretion

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• Internatal reproductive organs
• Uterus decreases in size becomes more fibrous
• Uterus has fewer endometrial glands
• Cervix reduced in size
• Uterine tubes become thinner
• Ovaries take on an irreguar shape
• Ovulation stops--menopause (50 between ages 45
  and 50)

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Male Genital System

• Continues to produce germ cells (sperm) and sex
  hormones (testosterone) well into old age,
  declining with advancing age
• Size firmness of the testes decrease
• Reduced sperm production due to age-related
  fibrosis which constricts the blood supply
• Fibrosis may also affect the penis since erection
  is a purely vascular phenomenon

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AND ON THAT HAPPY NOTE, WE MOVE ON

• What are the various theoretical explanations
  for the CHANGES OF AGING?

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