Physiological changes of ageing (telomere shortening, oxidative stress, organ function)
Core concept
- Ageing = loss of physiological reserve, not loss of resting function
- Most resting parameters stay near normal; the maximal response to a stressor falls
- This is why the first presentation of ageing physiology is a decompensation, not an abnormal baseline test
- Hallmarks of ageing (the cellular level the exam tests)
- Telomere attrition -> replicative senescence (Hayflick limit)
- Genomic instability, epigenetic drift, mitochondrial dysfunction -> ROS/oxidative stress
- Loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing (mTOR, insulin/IGF-1), stem cell exhaustion
- Cellular senescence with SASP -> chronic low-grade sterile inflammation = "inflammaging"
3 more sections, plus exam facts
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