The Endocrinology of Ageing: A Mini-Review

Abstract

Significant advances in health and social wellbeing have led to linear gains in life expectancy and an accompanying increase in the burden imposed by age-related morbidities. Complex alterations in hormonal networks which regulate homeostasis and survival may underlie this poor adaptation to later life, as exemplified by an increased fracture risk amongst post-menopausal women. Beyond overt under- or overactivity of hormonal axes, changes in the concentrations of regulatory hormones may also impact on health and disease. Subclinical hyperthyroidism, a disorder characterised by normal thyroxine levels in the presence of decreased thyroid-stimulating hormone, is, for instance, independently associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation amongst elderly populations. Both the menopause and subclinical thyroid disease demonstrate the difficulty in reversing endocrine changes in later life, with minimal impact from thyroxine therapy in subclinical hypothyroidism and multiple reports of harm resulting from hormone replacement therapy in peri- and post-menopausal women. Given these findings, strategies to locally regulate hormone bioavailability by altering pre-receptor metabolism may offer greater therapeutic potential in the fight against age-related disease. This review aims to provide an overview of the ageing endocrine system and its potential impact on health and disease in the elderly. It will postulate that strategies to coordinate pre-receptor hormone metabolism and a greater understanding of putative hormonal longevity pathways may offer key new drug targets in the fight against ageing, and will argue against applying the conventional endocrine maxim of ‘block and replace' to hormonal changes seen during ageing.

Glucocorticoid‐mediated modulation of morphological changes associated with aging in microglia

“…Aging is reported to provoke endocrine changes related to a plethora of pathophysiological conditions ranging from menopause to diabetes (Jones & Boelaert, 2014). Glucocorticoids (GCs) are a class of steroid hormones, which generally produce an anti‐inflammatory microglia profile (Bellavance & Rivest, 2014).…”

Hypothyroidism in Elderly Population: A Review

“…It seems that simultaneous increase in both TSH and autoantibodies against the enzyme may indicate subclinical hypothyroidismoriginated overt hypothyroidism. Since elderly subjects are more prone to hypothyroidism with eventual adverse outcomes, it is vital for such patients to be monitored carefully to avoid further complications [2,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]. Summary and key points 1.…”

Caring for women in their post reproductive life: current recommendations on hormone replacement therapy

“…In menopause there is not only reduction of oestrogen production from the ovaries, but many hormone systems in the body are also affected [6]. Oestrogen deficiency results in symptoms such as hot flushes, sweating, insomnia, vaginal dryness and discomfort [1].…”