madman
Super Moderator
Conclusions
Changes in the activities of various endocrine systems occur during ageing, including altered hormonal secretory patterns and modulation of feedback sensitivity, summarised in figure 1. These physiological changes should be considered when interpreting hormone concentrations in older individuals with and without endocrine disease. However, the magnitude of these changes varies considerably between individuals, and reference values for hormone concentrations at older ages should be established. Differentiating whether these changes are due to the ageing process, or whether they are related to other processes, such as intercurrent chronic diseases, inflammation, nutritional status, or a combination of these, is difficult. The effect of these age-related changes on body composition,
physical function, emotional wellbeing, morbidity, and finally mortality is only partly known. Some of the changes could be a beneficial adaptation to ageing, whereas others are not. Future studies should aim to explore whether endocrine alterations are maladaptive or adaptive to ageing.
Changes in the activities of various endocrine systems occur during ageing, including altered hormonal secretory patterns and modulation of feedback sensitivity, summarised in figure 1. These physiological changes should be considered when interpreting hormone concentrations in older individuals with and without endocrine disease. However, the magnitude of these changes varies considerably between individuals, and reference values for hormone concentrations at older ages should be established. Differentiating whether these changes are due to the ageing process, or whether they are related to other processes, such as intercurrent chronic diseases, inflammation, nutritional status, or a combination of these, is difficult. The effect of these age-related changes on body composition,
physical function, emotional wellbeing, morbidity, and finally mortality is only partly known. Some of the changes could be a beneficial adaptation to ageing, whereas others are not. Future studies should aim to explore whether endocrine alterations are maladaptive or adaptive to ageing.
