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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Is old age a disease?
— a discussion of current theories of ageing | | Author(s) | R Wears |
| Journal title | Ageing and Health: the Journal of the Institute of Ageing and Health (West Midlands), no 2, Spring 1997 |
| Pages | pp 2-7 |
| Keywords | Biological ageing ; Ageing process ; Theory. |
| Annotation | Ageing can be regarded as those changes which are specifically linked with the loss of tissues and the deterioration of functional reserve, leading to the decreased survival capability seen with advancing age. Research into the biology of ageing has produced many theories accounting for ageing and senescence, some of which are outlined in this article. The cross-linkage theory suggests that ageing is due to the formation of covalent cross-links between macromolecules, which are said to be irreversible and interfere with cellular function. Other theories concentrate on changes in the genetic information carried to individual cells. Those who advocate theories of unprogrammed senescence see the ageing process as a series of random errors in the information containing molecules of DNA within cells. One specific form of DNA damage, caused by free radicals, continues to have some support. The theory of somatic mutation suggested that ageing was due to random accumulation of DNA mutations. Thus, medical and biological approaches have difficulty in defining old age, whereas social approaches to old age have a greater element of certainty - even if the inference is to enforced retirement. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-980325212 A |
| Classmark | BH: BG: 4D |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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