Aging Changes in The Body and Their Effects on Their Respiratory Functions

1. Changes to the bones and muscles of the chest and spine:

 Bones become thinner and change their shape. This can change the shape of your ribcage. As a result, your ribcage may not
expand and contract as well during breathing.
 The muscle that supports your breathing, the diaphragm, becomes weakened. This weakness may prevent you from breathing
enough air in or out.
 Lower the oxygen level in your body = less carbon dioxide may be removed from your body. Symptoms such as tiredness and
shortness of breath can result.
 With age there is a gradual increase in rib calcification, particularly in the anterior cartilaginous (costal) areas close to the
sternum and to a lesser extent, in the areas where the ribs articulate with the vertebral column. These changes mean the chest wall
becomes progressively more rigid.
2. Changes to lung tissue:
 Muscles and other tissues that are near your airways may lose their ability to keep the airways completely open. This causes the
airways to close easily.
 Aging also causes the air sacs to lose their shape and become baggy.
 Oxygen saturation – age-related changes to the respiratory tract ultimately result in a reduced delivery of oxygen to the blood and
a decrease in oxygen saturation.
 Alveolar changes – as middle age approaches, the loss of elasticity in the lung tissue and airways leads to a progressive increase in
the diameter of the respiratory bronchioles and alveolar ducts.
 Residual volume (RV) is the air remaining in the lungs after a full, forced expiration. Less-elastic lungs become more distended as
they have reduced recoil during expiration; this results in air trapping.
 Pulmonary circulation – pressure in the pulmonary artery (wedge pressure) gradually increases with age, even in the absence of
pathology.
3. Changes to the nervous system:
 The part of the brain (medulla) that controls breathing may lose some of its function. When this happens, your lungs are not able
to get enough oxygen. Not enough carbon dioxide may leave the lungs. Breathing may get more difficult.
 Nerves in your airways that trigger coughing become less sensitive. Large amounts of particles like smoke or germs may collect in
the lungs and may be hard to cough up.
 Capacity for exercise – aerobic capacity diminishes by 6-10% per decade: a standard six-minute walk test shows that individuals
aged 80 years walk around 200 meters less than those aged 40 years
4. Changes to the immune system:
 Your immune system can get weaker. This means your body is less able to fight lung infections.
 Your lungs are also less able to recover after exposure to smoke or other harmful particles.
 Vulnerable to infection and damage from pollutants because its warm, moist, 85m2 surface area is in continuous contact with the
environment

Common Problems
1. Asthma – most common respiratory diseases, characterized by wheezing, tight chest, difficulty breathing, and a dry, hacking cough
2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – damage the lungs and limit one’s ability to exhale normally. It’s characterized by shortness
of breath, an inability to perform physical activity without becoming winded, and a phlegm producing cough, especially upon rising in
the morning.
3. Chronic Bronchitis – causes chronic, wet, productive
4. Acute bronchitis – viral infection
5. Emphysema – It’s a form of COPD that occurs progressively when alveoli can’t repair themselves from exposure to contaminants;
emphysema is a dangerous disease that affects the airways and air sacs (aveoli) in the lungs, making exhaling difficult or impossible.
Unfortunately, emphysema takes years to develop, and has no cure. The best advice for any smoker is to quit as soon as possible to ebb
its worsening symptoms.
Caused by smoking
Symptoms:
 Breathlessness with exertion, and eventually breathlessness most of the time in advanced disease
 Susceptibility to chest infections
 Cough with phlegm production
 Fatigue
 Barrel-shaped chest (from expansion of the ribcage in order to accommodate enlarged lungs)
 Cyanosis (a blue tinge to the skin) due to lack of oxygen.
6. Lung Cancer – begins in the lungs and may spread to lymph nodes or other organs in the body, such as the brain. Cancer from other
organs also may spread to the lungs. When cancer cells spread from one organ to another, they are called metastases.
Caused by:
 Tobacco use
 Breathing secondhand smoke
 Being exposed to substances such as asbestos or radon at home or work
 Having certain gene mutations (unusual changes made when your body's cells are dividing)
 Having a family history of lung cancer
Symptoms:
 Coughing that gets worse or doesn't go away.
 Chest pain.
 Shortness of breath.
 Wheezing.
 Coughing up blood.
 Feeling very tired all the time.
 Weight loss with no known cause.
7. Cystic Fibrosis – clogs the airways of sufferers with thick, sticky mucus that leads to dangerous and recurring bacterial infections in the
lungs.
 Caused by a defective gene that makes the body produce abnormally thick and sticky fluid, called mucus.
Symptoms:
 Chronic coughing (dry or coughing up mucus)
 Recurring chest colds.
 Wheezing or shortness of breath.
 Frequent sinus infections.
 Very salty-tasting skin.
8. Tuberculosis – infectious disease that most often affects the lungs. TB is caused by a type of bacteria. It spreads through the air when
infected people cough, sneeze or spit.
Caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Symptoms:
 Discomfort
 Weight loss
 Cough
 Dyspnea
 Shivering
 Fever and night's sweats
 Sometimes pains in the chest
9. Pulmonary edema – disease affecting the lung’s alveoli and interstitium, which are the thin linings between the alveoli.
10. Pulmonary embolism – affects blood vessels, when blood clots break and goes to the heart
11. Acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, is the sudden, severe damage to the alveoli caused by serious illness such as COVID-
19.
12. Pleural effusion occurs when the pleural space between the lungs and chest fill with fluid to the point breathing becomes difficult.
13. Pneumonia – bacterial, viral, or fungal infection that causes the alveoli and interstitium areas of the lungs to fill with fluid
14. Pneumoconiosis – category of conditions in which damage to the alveoli occurs as the result of inhaling foreign matter
15. Interstitial Lung Disease – Interstitium is the delicate lining between the lung’s alveoli that can become scarred or inflamed as the result
of breathing harmful substances, certain health disorders, genetics, or other unknown causes

There are several simple ways to help protect your lungs and maintain better lung function throughout your life.
1. Start quitting or don't smoke – smoking damages your lungs and will compound the effects of aging. Need help quitting? We can help.
2. Avoid air pollution – Indoor and outdoor air pollutants can damage your lungs. Secondhand smoke, outdoor air pollution, chemicals in
the home and workplace, and radon all can cause or worsen lung disease.
3. Exercise –Regular exercise can help keep chest muscles strong.
4. Watch your weight – Abdominal fat can impede the diaphragm's ability to fully expand the lungs. A combination of both healthy eating
and exercise will double the benefit to your lungs.
5. Get up – Lying in bed too long allows mucus and fluid to settle in your lungs, which can harm lung capacity.
6. Get regular healthcare – Regular check-ups help prevent diseases, even when you are feeling well. This is especially true for lung
disease, which sometimes goes undetected until it is serious.
7. Get your annual flu shot and ask your doctor if you should be vaccinated for pneumonia.

References:

American Lung Association. (n.d.). Your aging lungs. https://www.lung.org/blog/your-aging-lungs#:~:text=There%20are%20several

%20body%20changes,only%20be%20significant%20when%20exercising.

Contributor, N. (2021). Anatomy and physiology of ageing 2: the respiratory system. Nursing Times.

https://www.nursingtimes.net/roles/older-people-nurses-roles/anatomy-and-physiology-of-ageing-2-the-respiratory-system-2-27-02-

2017/#:~:text=Lung%20volume&text=It%20is%20normally%20around%201.2,Lee%20et%20al%2C%202016).

Dezube, R. (2023, August 10). Effects of aging on the respiratory system. MSD Manual Consumer Version.

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Sharma, G., & Goodwin, J. S. (2006). Effect of aging on respiratory system physiology and immunology. Clinical Interventions in Aging,

1(3), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.2147/ciia.2006.1.3.253