Old age disease

Age-related diseases are diseases in which, in addition to the absolute number, the percentage share of all causes of death in a population increases monotonously into old age.

Few diseases occur only or almost only in old age. Many diseases have their most common occurrence in childhood or adulthood . However, the events partly accumulate, i.e. H. the effects are becoming more and more serious due to the accumulation of individual events and their consequences. B. the lack of self-healing of the cells with cell division defects of the DNA . The long latency (the hidden growth) of various diseases, especially many types of cancer ( oncology ) , also plays a role . The prevention of old age diseases is called geroprophylaxis .

Examples

According to this definition, it is not only about the first appearance of signs of illness in a phase of life, but also about the severity of the illness, its cause of death as the most serious effect. Typical gender differences can often be observed in the frequency distribution of the age groups. Above all, there are many circulatory diseases (without heart attacks ), diseases of the cerebral vessels, bronchitis , diabetes mellitus (type II), osteoporosis , some diseases of the skin and the genital organs and the respiratory system .

Incidence

Of the approximately 150,000 deaths that occur every day in the world, 100,000, i.e. about 2/3, are caused by old-age diseases. In developed countries this ratio is even more extreme and can reach 90%.

literature

Ernst Bähr: Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries in relation to age, illness and constitution. In: Archive for Circulatory Research . Volume 3, August 1938.
R. Beaglehole, R. Bonita, T. Kjellström: Introduction to Epidemiology . Huber, Bern 1997, ISBN 3-456-82767-9 .
Consider aging holistically in research. (PDF; 180 kB). (DIP printed matter 14/9668)
Gereon Heuft, Andreas Kruse, Hartmut Radebold: Textbook of gerontopsychosomatics and geriatric psychotherapy. 2nd Edition. E. Reinhardt, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-497-01795-7 .

Web links

4. Report on the elderly of the Federal Government - "Risks, quality of life and care of the very old - with special consideration of dementia diseases," ( Memento from November 23, 2003 in the Internet Archive ) 2002, printed as BT printed matter (The first chapter gives a short historical overview, on the background of which a definition of very old age is given, and explains the biological prerequisites for longevity )
Is cancer a disease of old age? ( Memento from August 6, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) At ard - themenwoche krebs (March 27, 2006)

Individual evidence

^ Hans Franke: Very old and very old. Causes and Problems of Old Age. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg etc. 1987 (= Understandable Science. Volume 118), ISBN 3-540-18260-8 , p. 2.
^ ^A ^b Aubrey de Gray: Life Span Extension Research and Public Debate: Societal Considerations . In: Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology . tape 1 , 1, Article 5, 2007, doi : 10.2202 / 1941-6008.1011 ( sens.org ( memento of October 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) [PDF; accessed on August 7, 2011]).

[1] Hans Franke: Very old and very old. Causes and Problems of Old Age. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg etc. 1987 (= Understandable Science. Volume 118), ISBN 3-540-18260-8 , p. 2.

[doi10.2202/1941-6008.1011-2] A ^b Aubrey de Gray: Life Span Extension Research and Public Debate: Societal Considerations . In: Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology . tape 1 , 1, Article 5, 2007, doi : 10.2202 / 1941-6008.1011 ( sens.org ( memento of October 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) [PDF; accessed on August 7, 2011]).