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Lean body mass decreases. This decrease is partly caused by a loss of muscle tissue (atrophy).
The speed and amount of muscle changes seem to be caused by genes. Muscle changes often
begin in the 20s in men and in the 40s in women.
Lipofuscin (an age-related pigment) and fat are deposited in muscle tissue. The muscle fibers
shrink. Muscle tissue is replaced more slowly. Lost muscle tissue may be replaced with a tough
fibrous tissue. This is most noticeable in the hands, which may look thin and bony.
Muscles are less toned and less able to contract because of changes in the muscle tissue and
normal aging changes in the nervous system. Muscles may become rigid with age and may lose
tone, even with regular exercise.
EFFECT OF CHANGES
Bones become more brittle and may break more easily. Overall height decreases, mainly because
the trunk and spine shorten.
Breakdown of the joints may lead to inflammation, pain, stiffness, and deformity. Joint changes
affect almost all older people. These changes range from minor stiffness to severe arthritis.
The posture may become more stooped (bent). The knees and hips may become more flexed.
The neck may tilt, and the shoulders may narrow while the pelvis becomes wider.
Movement slows and may become limited. The walking pattern (gait) becomes slower and
shorter. Walking may become unsteady, and there is less arm swinging. Older people get tired
more easily and have less energy.
brain and spinal cord lose nerve cells and weight (atrophy).
Nerve cells may begin to pass messages more slowly than in the past.
Waste products can collect in the brain tissue as nerve cells break down. This can cause
abnormal changes in the brain called plaques and tangles to form.
A fatty brown pigment (lipofuscin) can also build up in nerve tissue.
Breakdown of nerves can affect your senses. You might have reduced or lost reflexes or
sensation. This leads to problems with movement and safety.
Slowing of thought, memory, and thinking is a normal part of aging. These changes are
not the same in everyone. Some people have many changes in their nerves and brain
tissue. Others have few changes. These changes are not always related to the effects on
your ability to think.
The heart has a natural pacemaker system that controls the heartbeat. Some of the pathways of
this system may develop fibrous tissue and fat deposits. The natural pacemaker (the SA node)
loses some of its cells. These changes may result in a slightly slower heart rate.
A slight increase in the size of the heart, especially the left ventricle occurs in some people. The
heart wall thickens, so the amount of blood that the chamber can hold may actually decrease
despite the increased overall heart size. The heart may fill more slowly.
Heart changes cause the ECG of a normal, healthy older person to be slightly different than the
ECG of a healthy younger adult. Abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias), such as atrial fibrillation, are
more common in older people. They may be caused by heart disease.
Normal changes in the heart include deposits of the "aging pigment," lipofuscin. The heart
muscle cells degenerate slightly. The valves inside the heart, which control the direction of blood
flow, thicken and become stiffer. A heart murmur caused by valve stiffness is fairly common in
older people.
EFFECT OF CHANGES
Normally, the heart continues to pump enough blood to supply all parts of the body.
However, an older heart may not be able to pump blood as well when you make it work
harder.