Ageing

Published on August 31, 2024   30 min

A selection of talks on Clinical Practice

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0:00
Hello, everyone. My name is Dr. Emma Short and I work as a consultant histopathologist, and I carry out ageing research. This talk will explore ageing.
0:16
Ageing is characterised by a progressive loss of physiological functioning which leads to an increased vulnerability to death. During this talk, we'll define some of the terms which are commonly used in the ageing field, and we'll look at the cellular and clinical features of ageing.
0:40
The learning objectives for this talk are to have an understanding of the terms and definitions that are used in the context of ageing, to have an awareness of the clinical features of ageing, and to understand the cellular and tissue hallmarks of ageing.
1:01
The definitions that we will look at are chronological age versus biological or physiological age, longevity, lifespan, healthspan, frailty, life expectancy, and senescence.
1:21
Our chronological age and our biological or physiological age can be very different. Our chronological age refers to the number of years we have been alive for, whereas our biological age reflects how healthy or unhealthy our cells, tissues, and organs are. In other words, chronological age is a measure of time, whereas biological age is a measure of health, disease risk, or death. If we look at the men on the slide, they are both 60 year old, so they both have a chronological age of 60 years. However, the man on the left eats a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, he exercises daily, he has an academically challenging job, and he has a strong social network. In contrast, the man on the right only eats ultra processed foods, he drinks five pints of beer a day, he smokes 40 cigarettes a day, spends all of his time sat down watching the television, and he lives alone without any friends. Although these men both have the same chronological age, it is highly likely that the man on the right has a much older biological age, and he will be at a greater risk of developing diseases, if he doesn't have them already, and he is highly likely to die before the man on the left.

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