ABSTRACT
Ageing is partly a physiological process and partly the effect of life's events on various organs and tissues. It is possible that crucial stem cells, which could include haematopoietic stem cells, are themselves subject to ageing. Recognising the effect of age per se on haematopoietic function is difficult because of the interplay of haematopoiesis with endocrine and renal function and the effects of systemic disease on haematopoiesis. This chapter explores the changes that may occur in the haematopoietic cells with ageing and discusses their clinical implications as well as some of the more common blood diseases occurring in older people. With ageing, haematopoietic marrow in distal bones is replaced by fatty marrow, with active haematopoiesis being largely confined to the proximal axial skeleton. Physiological changes occur in haematological variables with ageing, most of them disadvantageous. Among these, unexplained anaemia and thrombotic disorders are the most prevalent.
