The complaints due to aging processes are manifold and depend on the particular organs affected, that is, “aged”.Changes in the muscular and skeletal systems are the most common true increasing complaints:
- Loss of strength due to loss of muscle – by the age of 50, 10% of muscle fibers have already dwindled – by the age of 70, 50%.
- Bone pain due to osteoporosis (bone loss) – reduction in bone density and thus increase in bone fractures in old age (femoral neck fractures, vertebral and wrist fractures).
- Bone pain due to osteoarthritis
Aging processes often also lead to psychomental complaints
- General fatigue, rapid fatigability
- Weakness of concentration, disturbances of the memory.
- Sleep disorders
- Potency respectively libido disorder
- Stress lability, depressive mood
These complaints occur especially in the female menopause – menopause – and male menopause – andropause – respectively.
Further complaints are due to the increasing deficiency of growth hormone in adults – somatopause – in middle and advanced age, as well as the increasing deficiency of the hormone DHEA(S) – adrenopause – in adults in the middle years of life.
The gender-specific aging processes of women are described in the chapter “Menopause of women (menopause)” – and those of men in the chapters “Menopause of men (andropause)” and “Erectile dysfunction“. Both sexes are equally affected by the above-mentioned adrenopause and somatopause, respectively, which are presented in separate chapters.
