There is a rising
growth on the average age of women in the world. Although the growth is seen as
one of humanity’s supreme accomplishments, still it is among our greatest
challenges. There is a continuous decline in fertility as women since the
functioning of organs depends on the status of the cells within the body. The
cells of women don’t function properly as they age because there is a decrease
in the number of cells while others are not properly replaced when they die
(Lemura, 2004). These cause some important organs of the body to malfunction.
The physiological effects of aging on the women reproductive system
The changes in the hormonal levels
are the main cause of changes in the reproductive systems of women. This leads
to the permanent stoppage of the menstrual periods, referred as the menopause
stage during which drastic changes occur in the genital organs. During the
menopause stage, the ovaries completely stop the production of estrogen.
Perimenopause is the time before the stage of menopause; it occurs several
years before the occurrence of menopause. At the Perimenopause stage, there is
likelihood for women to give birth to children having Down syndrome. This is
because there is a higher danger of improper division of chromosomes. This
usually occurs at the age of 35The menopause usually occurs at the age of
45-50. During this stage, the ovaries stop producing reproductive hormones,
i.e. progesterone, as well as estrogen. They also stop the production of ova as
the menstrual periods stops completely. Other changes that occur due to the
fall in the levels of hormones include irritation, less elasticity, dryness as
well as thinning of the vaginal walls which may cause sexual intercourse to
become more painful. There is also an increased danger of acquiring vaginal
yeast infections.
The physiological effects of aging on the female bone density
According to White
et al. (2013), as women age, there is considerable loss in bone mass; this
normally occurs after the menopause stage. This is because there are changes in
the tissues of the muscle as well as the changes in the nervous system due
tonormal aging that leads to contraction of muscles as they become more rigid.
This makes the bones much more fragile and more easily breakable. The stance of
women becomes more bent as the hips and knees become more elastic (White et
al., 2013). The aging of women may also result in the tilting of the neck,
narrowing of the shoulders, and widening of the pelvis. There may also be
limitation in movement as it slows down.
The incidence and effect of arthritis
Arthritis refers
to a general illness of the persistent inflammatory joint disease
osteoarthritis (not to be confused with rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune
disease not associated with aging. This infection is typified by the swelling
of the joints and the synovial membrane. This leads to the destruction of the
periarticular tissues including the feature of a wide variety of
extra-articular membranes.
A recent investigation in the United Kingdom
indicated that the minimum preference regarding arthritis in the populace to be
1.16 percent in the female and 0.44 in the male. This shows that this infection
normally occurs more often in women than in men. The study showed that the
incidence is very low since it is only 1.5 males and 3.7 females that develop
arthritis in a year per a population of 10, 000 individuals. Arthritis occurs
two to five times in females as compared to a single occurrence in men.
Although the disease develops in all the ages, the study showed that 40 years
was the age of the peak incidence (Mikuls, 2010).
According to Mikuls (2010), the
arthritis leads to inflammation of the synovial joints and commonly affects the
feet as well as hands. As the disease progresses, more joints are affected.
How aging has a physiological effect on Basal Metabolic Rate, cardiac
output, and nerve conduction velocity
Basal Metabolic Rate
Coulston&Boushey,
(2013) says that age is an important element when it comes to the metabolisation
of energy from amino acids, fatty acids, and simple sugars. There is a linear
relationship between age and the rate of basal metabolism. In the normal human
body, the skeletal musculature is a critical organ whereby the largest energy
is consumed. As age increases, the skeletal muscle levels decreases as well as
the fat tissue percentage. The reduction in the mass of the muscles in relation
to the whole body is normally responsible in the reduction of the basal
metabolic level that is related to age. The atrophic changes in the skeletal
muscle lead to the reduction of energy consumption by physical activity. This causes
the required energy in the elderly to decrease, thus leading to the reduction
of essential nutrients in the body. The accumulation of body fats usually
occurs in the abdomen of the older people. This accumulation of fats in the
abdomen leads to the metabolism disturbances of the lipids as well as glucose.
Cardiac output
Several
experiments have been conducted to determine the relationship between
maturation of different species of animals and the resultant effects on cardiac
output. For example, in the studies conducted in the male Fischer-344 rats revealed
that the cardiac output in young rats was a bit lower compared with that of
adults. The cardiac index was not different, however, among gender groupings
(Whitbourne, 2002).
According to
Whitbourne (2002), in juveniles, the cardiac output to spinal cord tissue,
brain, and skeletal muscle was significantly higher than in the adult
counterparts. On the other hand, adults tend to have high cardiac output to
adipose tissue and lower output in the reproductive and cutaneous tissues.
The purpose of studying
conscious Fischer-344 rats was to show that old age does not alter tissue blood
flows but that changes in body composition may lead to inescapable changes in
the fractional distribution of cardiac output. With few isolated exceptions,
the hypothesis is that old age does not necessarily alter tissue perfusion
rates per unit mass. Also, there are few changes in body composition among the
organs and organ systems brought about by old age (Whitbourne, 2002)
Nerve conduction velocity
The nerve
conduction velocity is a vital aspect of nerve conduction studies, and it is
the speed through which electrochemical impulses propagates down a neural
passageway. It is extensively acknowledged that the nerve conduction parameters
change with age. This results in electro diagnostic laboratories developing
tables of normative standards that are divided according to age groups (Kondo
et al., 2003). The studies quantify that the value of nerve conduction change
with age, resulting in reduced sensory conduction velocity and motor conduction
velocity.
Kondo et al. (2003) argues that the
conduction velocities are affected by many arrays of factors including age and
other medical conditions. The conduction velocity is specific to each
individual and greatly depends on the axons diameter and the extent at which
the axon is myelinated. The nerve conduction velocity itself is measured with
the aid of detecting whether muscles are functioning correctly. In baseline
nerve conduction, the measurements are different in each individual, as they
depend on the age of the individual and other anthropometric factors like hand
size and the tallness.
Cardiovascular Disease
One of the
diseases linked with the aging process is the Cardiovascular Disease. This type
of disease affects approximately one-third of women in the age group of 40 to
53 years. The incidence of this condition also increases in relation to the
increase in age. The Cardiovascular disease includes the infections of the
blood vessels as well as the hearth and it’s among the leading cause of death
in the UK. These diseases include the hypertension, hearth disease of coronary,
stroke and hearth failure. A health lifestyle can greatly reduce the
possibility of acquiring the cardiovascular disease (Miller, 2002).
Conclusion
Aging has a
significant effect on the bone density, the reproductive system and other
biological activities of the body. It should be noted that behavioral
activities of an individual also contribute to the physiological effects of
aging and its processes. The process of aging causes important organs of
the body to malfunction; hence, individuals are required to take necessary
precautions such as having a healthy lifestyle so that these effects can be
minimized
References
Lemura, L. M. (2004). Clinical
exercise physiology: application and physiological principles. Philadelphia
[u.a.], Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
White, B. A., Porterfield, S. P.,
& Porterfield, S. P. (2013). Endocrine and reproductive physiology.
Philadelphia, PA, Elsevier/Mosby.
Mikuls, T. (2010).
Rheumatoid Arthritis Incidence: What Goes Down Must Go Up. Arthritis &
Rheumatism 62 (6): 1565-1567. doi:10.1002/art.27432.
Coulston, A. M., & Boushey, C.
(2013). Nutrition in the prevention and treatment of disease. Oxford
[etc.], Elsevier.
Whitbourne, S. K. (2002). The
aging indiv
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