biological and pathophysiology of ageing

Question 1

define aging

Answer 1

process of becoming older / pattern of life changes as one grows older

Question 2

what is gerontology

Answer 2

study of the ageing process

Question 3

what is geriatrics

Answer 3

branch of clinical medicine specialised in problems of the elderly

Question 4

what are the 3 theories of ageing

Answer 4

biological
psychosocial
developmental

Question 5

what are the 6 biological theories

Answer 5

genetic theories
cellular theories
metabolic theories
molecular theroies
programmed theory
the run out of program theory

Question 6

explain the telomere theory (genetic) + what is a telomere

Answer 6

telomere is the tail of chromosomes that protect the end of chromosomes from being degraded and fused with other chromosome ends

• the theory is that every time a cell replicates, it loses parts of its telomere
• the older the cell, the more time it has divided, the shorter the telomere length
• as length of telomere decreases, changes may occur in the pattern of gene expression which can affect cellular function
• when the lost DNA enriches on functional area of chromosome, cell cycle arrest can ensue

Question 7

what does the telomerase enzyme do

Answer 7

lengthens the telomeres back up

Question 8

what is the free radical theory (cellular)

Answer 8

• unpaired electrons are highly unstable and can react with DNA, proteins and cell membrane
• they can oxidise other compounds
• an imbalance between free radical production and clearance can result in oxidative stress
  (ageing is caused by highly reactive chemicals produced randomly during metabolism)

Question 9

what is autophagy

Answer 9

process by which defective intracellular materials are removed from the cell

Question 10

what are the 3 main types of autophagy

Answer 10

microautophagy
macroautophagy
chaperone mediated autophagyho

Question 11

how is autophagy theorised to link with ageing

Answer 11

defective autopahgy is thought to underlie ageing and a number of age-related diseases

Question 12

what is the caloric restriction theory (metabolic)

Answer 12

all organisms have a finite amount of metabolic lifetime.
organisms with higher metabolic rate have a shorter life span

Question 13

what is diverticular disease

Answer 13

condition where small pouches (diverticula) form in the lining of the bowel and push out through the bowel wall
(often found in elderly)

Question 14

what are involutional brain changes

Answer 14

condition where folded brain tissue shrinks making the spaces between the folds deeper and wider
- enlarged ventricles/ brain issue lost
- thinning of cortex
(ppl with dementia have greatly shrunken folds)

Question 15

what is osteoporosis

Answer 15

decreased bony tissue per unit volume bones that weakens bones making them fragile and likely to break

Question 16

what 2 hormones can affect bone density

Answer 16

• lower oestrogen levels after menopause can contribute to a reduction in bone mineral density
• testosterone can increase bone mineral density

Question 17

what are degenerative joints

Answer 17

joint space thinning/ cartilage lost to both ends of bone close together
and
subchondral sclerosis (pathological thickening of bone below cartilage

Question 18

what is intervertebral disc disease

Answer 18

human intervertebral discs undergo age-related degenerative changes leading to neck pain, back pain, spine stiffness and disability
(can be bulging or thinning disc)

Question 19

what is kyphosis

Answer 19

forward curvature of spine caused by weakness in spinal bones that cause them to compress or crack

• caused by fractured vertebrae, disk degeneration and osteoporosis

Question 20

what is cause of thin endometrium

Answer 20

endometrium in postmenopause is much thinner
- endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women can be used in the assessment of endometrial cancer

Question 21

what does BPH stand for and what is it

Answer 21

benign prostatic hyperplasia
- non cancerous enlargement of prostate gland
- volume of prostate typically increases with age
- prostatic hyperplasia is typically benign but a proportion will develop cancer

Question 22

what is atherosclerosis

Answer 22

thickening of arteries caused by build-up of plague (fat, cholesterol etc) in the inner lining of artery
- calcium mineral deposits that accompany atherosclerosis serve as a marker for the diseasevto predict risk of myocardial infarction and death

Question 23

what is aortic aneurysm

Answer 23

balloon like bulge in aorta
- aorta is prone to dilatation as one ages
- typical route of aorta can change with age to take more convoluted (twisted) path
- fear of dilated aorta is risk of rupturew

Question 24

what is aspiration

Answer 24

misdirection of gastric contents into the lower respiratory tract
- incidence of this is greater in elders and can lead to aspiration pneumonia

Question 25

what are the 2 radicals found in oxidation of dna

Answer 25

super oxide 02- and hydroxyl radical OH-