Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Nov;33(4):473-490.
doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2017.07.001. Epub 2017 Aug 18.

Lung Diseases of the Elderly: Cellular Mechanisms

Kori Ascher  1 , Sharon J Elliot  2 , Gustavo A Rubio  2 , Marilyn K Glassberg  3
Affiliations
Review

Lung Diseases of the Elderly: Cellular Mechanisms

Kori Ascher et al. Clin Geriatr Med. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Natural lung aging is characterized by molecular and cellular changes in multiple lung cell populations. These changes include shorter telomeres, increased expression of cellular senescence markers, increased DNA damage, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and stem cell exhaustion. Aging, combined with the loss of protective repair processes, correlates with the development and incidence of chronic respiratory diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ultimately, it is the interplay of age-related changes in biology and the subsequent responses to environmental exposures that largely define the physiology and clinical course of the aging lung.

Keywords: Aging; COPD; Cellular senescence; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Stem cells.

PubMed Disclaimer