Degenerative Changes of Aging

Degenerative Changes of Aging
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Introduction
As one grows older, they develop changes in the body that are related to their physical aspects. These physical changes to the various organs in the body are collectively referred to as the physiological changes (Gerry & Seegmiller, 1981). These are changes that transverse from the loss of the sensory organs functionality, circulation, digestion, sexuality, bones weakening among others.
Physical Changes of the Aging Adults
Musculoskeletal changes
As one grows older, the bones become very vulnerable to breakage. All the major joints tend to also stiffen as the ligament that join the various bones become less elastic, which can lead to pain during movement or prolonged posture. This is associated with the fact that the joints that are responsible for bearing the weight have predilection leading to the wear and tear. Some of the physicians advocate that the old should take some light exercise given that there are no known cures to the painful transition. Most of the patients have been found to develop degenerative joints disease, which leads to disability (Smith & Gove, n.d). This is a disease that affects the cartilage, remodelling of the bones, eburnation and thickening of the bones among others. Osteoporosis has also been found to be very common with age, as the bones decrease in their mass. Loss of the atrophy in the muscles leads to the lean body mass decline.
Gastrointestinal changes
Due to the age factor, the oesophageal motility is disturbed and this leads to the condition referred to as the prebyesophagus. The peristaltic response also decreases with the age, while the nonperistaltic responses increase, since when the elderly swallow the time of transit of the food may be increased or the lower sphincter muscles may have lower relaxation rates. In the stomach, the rate of the atrophic gastritis has also been found to increase with age. The type A of this condition is associated with the body and the fundus, while the type B is in reference to the fundic glands and antral atrophy (Smith & Gove, n.d). The colon also becomes hypotonic which leads to its motility, such that the storage capacity is increased and the stool takes much longer, which is associated with constipation. The elderly also have the complication of losing the control of the external and internal sphincters and is recorded as of the most demeaning and traumatic aspects of aging. Although the liver reduces in weight, there are no records that exist indicting that the functionality also drops.
Endocrine Changes
With age, the insulin production beta cells lose their ability to respond correctly and actively to the changes of the impairment of the glucose concentration. Due to the enlargement of the adipocytes, the insulin receptors are turned down, which happens in those persons that are not obese (Gerry & Seegmiller, 1981).
Nutrition and Elimination ...