The crucial role of normative ageing in respiratory pathogenesis
▶️ The respiratory system undergoes substantial ageing-related changes.
▶️ The loss of function comes w/a reduced adaptability to the ever-changing demands of the body, & more importantly, to an increase in disease states, such as sleep apnoea.
▶️ The reduction in defences such as mucociliary clearance, coughing, & macrophage function causes increased respiratory infections.
▶️ A reduction in autophagy, alongside replicative senescence & with chronic inflammation, contributes to age-related diseases such as COPD & IPF.
▶️ Respiratory functional decline is associated w/multiple ageing-related pathologies.
▶️ Individuals showing age-related changes in the lung will inevitably have evidence of ageing in other organ systems as well.
✅️ Management of lung ageing should be holistic, requiring a multiprofessional approach as the challenges of ageing cannot be addressed by drugs alone.
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Ageing-related structural changes to the respiratory tract
▶️ The pharynx undergoes elongation of the soft palate, fat-pad deposition, & alterations of the bony structures.
▶️ Osteoporosis & calcification of the cartilage & articulations in the ribs & vertebrae reduce thoracic compliance.
▶️ Vascular stiffening & tissue remodelling & fibrosis reduce lung elasticity & tissue compliance.
▶️ Loss of elasticity in the bronchi increases the likelihood of collapse, whereas dilation of the bronchioles & alveolar ducts increases the closing volume of the lung.
▶️ Muscular weakness reduces the forces that the chest & diaphragm can apply to the thoracic cavity.