This document summarizes several physiological changes that occur with aging across multiple body systems. It notes that wrinkling of the skin increases with age as muscle movement is recorded on the face over time. Arthritis becomes more common in older adults, especially osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which cause inflammation and wearing away of joints. The musculoskeletal system also experiences sarcopenia, or loss of muscle mass, as well as osteopenia and potential osteoporosis, or loss of bone density. Several organ systems like the heart, lungs, urinary and genital systems undergo functional declines with aging as tissues lose elasticity and organs decrease in size.

1. Functions of ANS

3. Comparison

4. PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES WITH
AGING

5. CHANGES IN THE SKIN
 “To most people, the condition of the skin, hair,
and connective tissue collectively represents
the ultimate indicator of age”.

6. SKIN: Wrinkling
 Muscles of the face are capable of tremendous
movement. “Smiles, laughter, frowns,
disappointment, ager, rage, and surprise are all
recorded. The hand of time captures these
expressions and outlines them on the
face….By the age of 40, most people bear the
typical lines of their expressions.”

7. SKIN--Wrinkling:
 Loss of subcutaneous fat
– > vulnerability to pressure sores
– less insulation of body to cold (also affected by
diminished blood flow to skin & extremities) & heat

8. SKIN & NAILS
 Atrophic changes in sweat glands
 Thickened fingernails & toenails
 Generalized loss of body hair and head hair
 Decrease in # of functioning pigment-producing
cells-->graying
– Some remaining pigment cells enlarge--> “age
spots”
– Skin changes increase. vulnerability to
infections/disorders

9. SKELETOMUSCULAR SYSTEM
CHANGES
 “Arthritis & allied bone and muscular conditions
are among the most common of all disorders
afffecting people 65 years of age and over.”
 Arthritis: A generic term that refers to an
inflammation or degenerative change in a joint
– Occurs world wide & is one of the oldest known
diseases

10. ARTHRITIS
 Osteoarthritis
– Cause not known
– Also referred to as degenerative joint disease
– A gradual wearing away of joint cartilage that results
in the exposure of rough underlying bone ends
– Can do damage to internal ligaments
– Most commonly associated w/ weight bearing jnts

11.  Rheumatoid Arthritis
– A chronic, systemic, inflammatory disease of
connective tissue
– 2-3 times more common among women than men
– currently viewed as an autoimmune disease
– may occur at any age -- most common onset
between 20 & 50

12. Musculoskeltal, cont’d:
 Osteopenia --> Osteoporosis:
– Gradual loss of bone that reduces skeltal mass
without disrupting the proportions of minerals &
organic materials
– For many, it is asymptomatic
– Bones most critically involved: vertebra, wrist, hip

13. Musculoskeletal, cont’d:
 Sarcopenia:
– Loss of muscle mass that occurs with aging
– Cause not completely understood
– Preventable/reversible with regular physical activity

14. GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM
 Atophy of secretion mechanisms
 Decreasing motility of the gut
 Loss of strength/tone of muscular tissue &
supporting structures
 Changes in neurosensory feedback
– Enzyme & hormone release
– Innervation of the tract
– Diminished response to pain & internal sensations

15.  The GI symptoms often have their origins in
psychosocial factors

16. CARDOPULMONARY SYSTEM
 In the absence of disease, the heart tends to
maintain its size
 Heart valves tend to increase in thickness with
age
 BP tends to go up with age
– Systolic stabilizes at about age 75
– Diastolic stabilizes at about 65 then may gradually
decline

17. Atherosclerosis vs. Arteriosclerosis
 Atherosclerosis
– A narrowing of arterial passageways as a result of
the development of plaques on their interior walls
– Reduces the size of the passageway--even to the pt
of closing it off. A cause of ischemic heart tissue
(tissue deprived of adequate blood supply)

18.  Arteriosclerosis:
– A generic term referring to the loss of elasticity of
arterial walls
– Often referred to as “hardening of the arteries”
– Considered a general aging phenomenon

19. Respiratory Changes
 Airways & tissues become less elastic & more
rigid with age
 Osteoporosis may alter the size/shape of the
chest cavity
 Power of respiratory & abdominal muscles
becomes reduced--hinders diaphramatic
movement

20. URINARY SYSTEM
 “The bladder of an elderly person has a
capacity of less than half (250ml) that of a
young adult (600 ml) and often contains as
much as 100 ml of residual urine”.
 Micturation reflex is delayed-- usually activated
when bladder is half full; in OAs, not until
bladder is nearly at capacity

21. GENITAL SYSTEM CHANGES
 “The genital system is characterized by a
number of age-related changes in physiology
and anatomy. On the whole, very few age-
specific disorders are associated with this body
system. With the exception of declining levels
of testosterone, most of the problems of
sexuality and aging are sociogenic or
psychogenic”.

22. Female genital tract
 External genitalia
– Folds become less pronounced
– Skin becomes thinner
– Vasculariy & elasticity decrease
– Becomes more susceptible to tissue trauma &
itching
– # of glands decreas, as does level of secretion

23.  Internatal reproductive organs
– Uterus decreases in size & becomes more fibrous
– Uterus has fewer endometrial glands
– Cervix reduced in size
– Uterine tubes become thinner
– Ovaries take on an irreguar shape
– Ovulation stops--menopause (50% between ages
45 and 50)

24. Male Genital System
 Continues to produce germ cells (sperm) and
sex hormones (testosterone) well into old age,
declining with advancing age
 Size & firmness of the testes decrease
 Reduced sperm production due to age-related
fibrosis which constricts the blood supply
 Fibrosis may also affect the penis since
erection is a purely vascular phenomenon