Pulmonary structure and function change significantly between young adulthood and old
age. Elastic elements of the lung degenerate, parenchymal tissue is lost, alveolar ducts and …

In this review article, the effects of old age on lung structure and function are discussed.
Changes in lung morphology and biochemistry are correlated with changes in lung …

Life expectancy has risen sharply during the past century and is expected to continue to rise
in virtually all populations throughout the world. In the United States population, life …

With the looming expansion of the elderly population of the US, a thorough understanding of
“normal” aging-related changes on the respiratory system is paramount. The respiratory …

Lung function generally declines with aging. Physiologic alterations are due to the combined
effects of a decrease in lung elasticity, an increase in chest-wall stiffness, and a decrease in …

The tissues of the lungs undergo changes with age that lead to an increase in alveolar size
without any destruction of alveolar walls. This lowers the alveolar surface tension and so …

There are many age-associated changes in the respiratory and pulmonary immune system.
These changes include decreases in the volume of the thoracic cavity, reduced lung …

The prevalence of lung conditions, such as COPD and pulmonary fibrosis, and lung
infections, such as pneumonia, increases sharply with age. The physiologic, cellular, and …

All the components of the respiratory system are affected by aging, though at different rates:
i) the lung elastic recoil decreases; ii) PaO 2 decreases and the D (Aa) O 2 increases; iii) the …

Lung aging is associated with structural remodeling, a decline of respiratory function and a
higher susceptibility to acute and chronic lung diseases. Individual factors that modulate …