Ageing: Postponing Morbidity.
This article discusses the fact that the morbidities of ageing, including hormonal, metabolic, haemopoietic and immunological, can be postponed; and that the pharmacological means to do
so are already available. This does not necessarily mean that death will be postponed, but it does mean that some or many of the disturbances to health and welfare in later years may be avoided – a
situation that Fries has termed ‘compression of morbidity’. Age changes are characterised by loss of molecular structure, and hence function, according to present hypothesis, which speculates that
the escalating loss of molecular fidelity ultimately exceeds repair and turnover capacity.
The factors which cause loss of health in later years include – but are not limited to – loss or diminution of anabolic steroids and sex hormones or their precursors with consequent loss of muscle mass; reduction in growth hormone secretion; reduction of erythropoietin secretion causing diminution of red cell production; depletion of immunological responses; possibly also reduction of
collagen production; and neurological deterioration.
Most of these factors have pharmacological remedies which if used in combination would prevent much ill-health. There are a number of known agents which would be of benefit. These are anabolic steroids, sex hormones or their precursor DHEA, erythropoietin and growth hormone. Although life-styles play an important part in morbidity (at almost any age) – as well as age at death – presumably by preventing or delaying molecular disorder, it is quite possible that
pharmaceutical intervention can also play a part by preventing.
Epidemiol Open J. 2018; 3(1): 1-6. doi: 10.17140/EPOJ-3-112