Increased Risk with Age
As people age, the risk of developing multiple chronic diseases significantly increases due to biological aging processes like inflammation, mitochondrial decline, and genomic instability. These diseases often share common roots, which is the foundation of geroscience: targeting aging to prevent or treat multiple conditions at once.
Chronic Diseases
The following outlines some of the more commonly known chronic diseases.
Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
hypertension (high blood pressure), coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke / transient ischemic attack (TIA), peripheral artery disease.
Type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol), obesity, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass/strength), chronic back pain.
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, asthma (late-onset).
prostate cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, skin cancers (e.g., melanoma).
rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis (skin and joint inflammation), lupus, ulcerative colitis.
hearing loss, vision loss (e.g., macular degeneration, cataracts), periodontal disease.
benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate gland - men only), urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, urinary tract infections, pelvic floor disorders (mainly in women).
Our Supporters
Our Public Information Project is funded by the RTOERO Foundation a registered charity that invests in research and programs that promote healthy, active aging. This public Information project is also supported by the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging at the University of British Columbia.
Disclaimer: All medical information provided by the network on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
Age: The biggest risk factor
This age/risk factor graph illustrates the incidences of chronic disease against age as well as multimorbidity rates (2+ conditions). Select a specific chronic disease to highlight the data
As we age, our cells and systems begin to change — and not always for the better. These changes make us more vulnerable to diseases like cancer, stroke, osteoporosis, and dementia. Geroscience researchers are asking: what if we could delay or prevent those changes?