ABSTRACT
The musculoskeletal system and the cardiac muscle, as other systems and organs of the body, pass through stages of growth, maturation, and aging. The first two stages have been studied extensively. The postmature stage, often associated with declining functional competence, is less well understood. The present chapter, after a short introduction, considers the agingrelated changes in the skeleton, including both bones and joints (see section entitled Aging of the Skeleton). In the section entitled Aging of Muscle, sarcopenia is presented as a fundamental manifestation of the aging skeletal muscles. Sarcopenia, in association with the aging-related changes of the skeleton presented here and those of the nervous system presented in Chapter 7, represents one of the causes of impaired mobility in the elderly. The possibility of recuperative effects on muscle size and strength by nutrition and physical exercise are discussed in the respective Chapters 23 and 24. Some aspects of the aging circulatory system presented in previous chapters have focused on the progression of atherosclerosis (Chapter 15) and the role of lipoproteins (Chapter 16) in aging. In the section entitled Aging of Cardiac Muscle, the discussion centers on the aging-related changes in the cardiac muscle as well as some of the pathologic consequences of cardiac dysfunction and their impact on survival and functional competence of old age.
