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Source: http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/science/070802rf
Author: Thijs Westerbeek, Research File, Radio Netherlands (02-08-2007)
Age shall not weary you
Illness should never be considered "normal at that age". That is the firm belief of
Professor Rudi Westendorp, of the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands:
"As the population gradually ages specific diseases of the
very old become common and should be researched, and if at all possible, treated. These days too many afflictions that come
with old age are simply accepted as normal".
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Rembrandt: Two Studies of the
Head of an Old Man (1626)
Image Credit: Research File |
Not tired of living
Professor Westendorp knows what he is talking about. In the city of Leiden, a large group of more than 500 octogenarians has
been regularly monitored over the last 25 years. One of the key questions of this research is to find out why the healthy
elderly are as fit as they are. It should teach gerontologists a lot about the occurrence of age- related illnesses like
fragility, deafness, blindness etc. Professor Westendorp:
"The overwhelming majority of these very old people, more
than 80 percent, are not tired of living. Even with all the physical discomforts, they appreciate their life, and give it
an eight out of ten. That's why the battle against age-related diseases is worth fighting".
Ever older
These days the life expectancy for men in the Netherlands is about 76. Women easily grow to be more than 80 years old.
Over the last 50 years men added 5 years to their life expectancy and women nine.
And the end is nowhere in sight. People will continue to grow older and older but a whole class of diseases that are
specific to the very, very old will then become a bigger problem.
Not researched
"A lot of research goes into illnesses which are common among middle-aged people", says Professor Westendorp.
"Diabetes, heart problems, cancer are all diseases which hit the 40-50 plus age group. Huge progress has been made over
the last decades in fighting these diseases. But when the patients get better as a result of all this effort they're left
standing alone once they get to be 80 plus. Suddenly becoming deaf is considered normal and people are sent home with a
hearing aid they don't like. 'Presbiacusis', age-related deafness, is simply not researched, so nobody knows what causes
it. But suppose you could start taking a pill at 80 to prevent you from becoming deaf at 90? Wouldn't that be a good
idea?"
Not sexy
Professor Westendorp accuses his colleagues in the medical profession of not being interested in the very old. It doesn't make
him very popular, but his point is easy to see. The over-80 age group is simply not 'sexy'. Much more prestige can be gained
from curing a woman who is in the prime of her life of cancer.
Why would an ambitious young specialist opt for a field of work which deals with those who might not live much longer? Of course
this is a rather confrontational way of looking at things, but Professor Westendorp really believes this is why really old
people are 'under-researched'.
"It's flawed thinking. Ultimately people don't die of old age, they die of an accumulation of several diseases. If you
treat these diseases people will not only get older, they'll enjoy life much more. In that sense it would be a tremendous
achievement to give an octogenarian maybe as much as fifteen years of proper hearing! Any medical specialist should be very
proud of that!"
Special attention
Three major degenerative diseases deserve immediate attention of medical science according to Professor Westerdorp:
Age-related deafness, Alzheimer's disease, and 'Sarcopenia'.
This last illness is the ultimate example of the "normal-at-that-age" phenomenon. The symptoms are stiff joint and weakness,
which in turn means not being able to walk very well. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Only very recently did gerontologists
realise that this was an illness of the musculature. Nothing can be done about it yet, but scientists are beginning to
understand what causes it.
Sarcopenia is the result of a gradual loss of a specific type of human cell, the so-called 'pericytes' which can be found in
the layer that wraps around every human muscle. "Maybe in time science can give us a way to preserve these pericytes or even
replace them", says Professor Westendorp.
Hope
Alzheimer's disease deserves special attention for three reasons: because so many people suffer from it, because it's extremely
debilitating, and because a remedy may not be that far away. Pathologists believe inflammation in the brain plays an important
role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Therefore clinical trials with patients who are old enough to get the disease, yet don't, have already begun. They get a mild
anti-inflammatory drug, in fact it's aspirin, and in time it should become apparent whether this makes a real difference.
Interacting
Age-related deafness is the third major disease science should concentrate on. Not only because so many people suffer from it,
but also because it makes social relations problematic. Professor Westendorp:
"Being able to interact with other people is really the key issue. As long as people are able to meet and speak with others,
as long as they can function socially, they perceive their life as worth living. It's what my reference group of octogenarians
here in Leiden shows time and time again: 'Ageing successfully means ageing with other people'." |
