What does aging really mean for the elderly body?

Author: Wang Changhong, Chief Physician and Professor of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College

Gao Chang, Associate Professor, Jining Medical College

Reviewer: Li Yufeng, Chief Physician, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical College

Aging is an inevitable natural law for humans. During the aging process, the human body undergoes many changes that can cause discomfort, annoyance, and confusion.

1. What changes will aging bring to the physiology of the elderly?

As people age, the functions of the body's major organs decline significantly, the likelihood of disease increases, and the ability of the elderly to maintain health decreases, which mainly causes the following physiological changes.

1. Weakened respiratory system function

As people age, their airway mucosa and glands atrophy, and their filtering and warming functions weaken, which reduces their overall airway defense function and makes them more susceptible to breathing difficulties and respiratory infections. In addition, their respiratory muscles atrophy and the elastic recoil force of their lungs decrease, leading to reduced vital capacity.

2. Weakened digestive system function

1. The esophageal muscles of the elderly atrophy, their contraction force weakens, and their swallowing function becomes weaker.

2. The gastric mucosa and glandular cells of the elderly degenerate, and the secretion of gastric juice decreases.

3. The secretory function of the pancreas in the elderly declines rapidly and insulin secretion decreases.

4. The elderly experience a decrease in liver weight, a decrease in the number of liver cells, a decline in liver function, and a decrease in the ability to break down fat and sugar.

5. The gallbladder wall and bile duct wall of the elderly become thicker and their elasticity decreases.

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3. Weakened urinary system function

As people age, their kidney tissue structure and function change significantly. The main manifestations are as follows.

1. The number of glomeruli gradually decreases in the elderly.

2. Elderly people have a reduced sense of thirst.

3. The dilution capacity of the kidneys of the elderly is weakened, and their ability to process sodium decreases.

4. The elderly suffer from relaxed bladder and enlarged prostate.

4. Endocrine dysfunction

The main manifestations of endocrine dysfunction in the elderly are as follows.

1. The activities of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, gonads and other systems are weakened.

2. Decreased thyroid function and adrenal cortex function.

3. Reduced sensitivity to insulin and decreased glucose tolerance.

2. Impact of Physiological Changes on the Elderly

1. Impact of weakened respiratory system function on the elderly

1. As age increases, the probability of elderly people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, lower respiratory tract infections, and lung cancer increases significantly.

2. Elderly people are more likely to suffer from respiratory failure when chronic respiratory diseases exacerbate or other systemic diseases worsen.

3. Elderly people who undergo surgery, fractures, or are bedridden are more likely to suffer from atelectasis or diseases such as aspiration pneumonia.

2. Impact of weakened digestive system function on the elderly

1. The appetite of the elderly gradually decreases, and the digestion and absorption of sugars, proteins, fats and other substances weakens, which reduces the absorption of calcium, iron and vitamin D, making malnutrition more likely to occur.

2. Reduced gastrointestinal blood flow, insufficient gastrointestinal smooth muscle tension and weakened peristalsis lead to frequent constipation in the elderly.

3. The elderly are prone to decreased activity of liver microsomal enzymes that are closely related to drug metabolism, and their response to induction is weakened.

4. Cholecystitis and cholelithiasis are prone to occur. Inflammation of the bile duct may even lead to self-digestion of pancreatic tissue, and then progress to acute pancreatitis.

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3. Impact of weakened urinary system function on the elderly

1. It causes thickening of the renal basement membrane, hyalinization of arterioles, and the formation of focal glomerular sclerosis.

2. When the elderly lose body fluids due to blood loss, vomiting, diarrhea, gastrointestinal decompression, etc., they are very likely to develop hypovolemia and hypotension if fluids are not replenished in time.

3. Elderly people are prone to water retention and hyponatremia when receiving large amounts of fluid, and may develop hypernatremia when restricting water intake or eating a high-sodium diet.

4. The elderly are prone to frequent urination, urgency, and increased nocturia.

4. Impact of endocrine dysfunction on the elderly

1. It leads to a decrease in the number of receptors in the hypothalamus of the elderly, and a weakened response to glucocorticoids and blood sugar.

2. The function of the thyroid gland to synthesize hormones in the elderly declines, and the metabolism becomes slow. If the diet is large, weight gain is easy, and symptoms such as fear of cold, dry skin, slow heart rate, fatigue, etc. are easy to occur. The cholesterol in the blood increases, and atherosclerosis may be aggravated.

3. Elderly women have decreased estrogen secretion and are more susceptible to osteoporosis after menopause.

4. The elderly have a poorer ability to respond to harmful stimuli such as trauma and infection.

5. The elderly have decreased pancreatic islet function, reduced insulin secretion, reduced ability to respond to insulin, and decreased glucose tolerance, which lead to an increased incidence of diabetes.

3. How do the elderly cope with aging?

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1. Have a sense of fitness

Encourage the elderly to exercise properly. The elderly can learn simple square dances, or take a walk after meals every day to exercise their muscles. They can also do some housework and walk up and down the stairs at home to ensure muscle strength. They should also use their brains frequently, for example, by playing chess or reading books.

2. Ensure reasonable eating habits and balanced nutrition

The elderly should develop a reasonable diet plan to ensure balanced nutrition. The elderly should not eat too much sugary food, otherwise it is easy to cause diabetes; at the same time, pay attention to avoid eating too much greasy food, choose vegetable oil, abandon animal oil, animal offal, etc.; nuts should not be consumed too much. Eat small meals frequently, control your diet, drink more warm water, and keep your intestines unobstructed.

3. Maintain a happy mood

The elderly should maintain a peaceful state of mind and avoid negative emotions. Many elderly people often become depressed and have irregular eating and sleeping habits due to loneliness or other reasons, which leads to negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, we should pay attention to the psychological problems of the elderly and ensure that they are in a good mood. We can guide them to avoid loneliness by taking a walk, playing chess or watching crosstalk, so that the elderly can feel warmth in life and ensure that they are in a good mood and full of energy.

References

【1】Wu Junhua. Analysis of nutrition and disease prevention in the elderly[J]. Medical Diet Therapy and Health. 2021, 19(11): 227-228.