Age-associated diseases and conditions: Implications for decreasing late life morbidity

We discuss true types of age-associated diseases; aging-dependent such as A lzheimer's disease and congestive heart failure which increase logarithmica lly with age, versus age-dependent such as multiple sclerosis and amyotroph ic lateral sclerosis which occur at proscribed ages, and then occurrence of new cases ceases or diminishes with further aging. Prevention strategies w ith both types emphasize postponement or delay of onset. The non fatal agin g-dependent diseases and conditions are an accumulating burden as cue age, and increase overall morbidity in late years. These include Alzheimer's dis ease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, loss of vision and hearing, incontinence, osteoporosis and hip fracture, osteoarthritis and depression. With mortality postponed, we will be living for many years at old and vuln erable ages. Life's quality will be reasonable for most. Still, increasing the chance that all will experience this desirable outcome requires pursuin g the means to delay the onset of the physical and social events which we c ategorize as the non-fatal aging-dependent diseases and conditions. We must recognize that each added year occurs at the tip of an exponential curve w here risk is maximal. (C) 2001, Editrice Kurtis.