Geriatric Physiology for Surgical Intensivists: Part I

Abstract

According to a Korean National Statistics Office report, South Korea has become an aged society with 14% of the population aged 65 years and over, and it is expected to become a superaged society by 2026 which would be at the fastest pace in the world [1]. Population aging and extended life expectancy have raised concerns about distinguishing disease states from normal aging when encountering this population in a clinical situation. Aging is usually defined as an age-dependent or an age-progressive decline in intrinsic physiological function necessary for survival and fertility. Aging leads to inevitable deterioration in cellular and physiological function, which results in impaired homeostasis, decreased ability to adapt to stress, increased vulnerability to disease, and increased age-related mortality [2]. The characteristics of aging as distinguished from diseases of aging, do not generally cause symptoms and occur at different rates among individuals, and within individuals. A large variation in physiological