Cellular Longevity, Inc, dba Loyal, 1841 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.
Cellular Longevity, Inc, dba Loyal, 1841 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA.
Top Companion Anim Med. 2022 Nov-Dec;51:100732. doi: 10.1016/j.tcam.2022.100732. Epub 2022 Oct 21.
Aging is the leading cause of disability, disease, and death in adult dogs. One major consequence of aging is diminishing physical function. For normal functioning, basic elements such as strength, balance, and energy must be present. These must then be integrated to enable higher levels of function, from simple walking and feeding to the complex demands of social roles, such as family companion or working search-and-rescue dog. Biological aging processes, such as loss of muscle strength, diminished cardiorespiratory function, chronic inflammation, and age-associated diseases, as well as the adverse effects of medical treatments, all contribute to physical dysfunction. Contextual elements, such as lack of opportunity for physical exercise or restricted access to veterinary care due to owner socioeconomic circumstances, also influence age-associated functional decline in dogs. In humans, well-established clinical assessments are available to evaluate physical function, and these can predict disability, morbidity, and mortality. There are also well-supported interventions that preserve and restore function and reduce the risk of death and disease in the elderly. Because the fundamental biology and the clinical phenotype of aging are very similar in humans and dogs, these assessments and interventions can likely be adapted for use in mitigating declining physical function in geriatric canines. This review evaluates the decline in physical function with age in dogs and the potential utility in this species of clinical assessment tools and interventions developed for humans.
衰老是导致成年犬残疾、疾病和死亡的主要原因。衰老的一个主要后果是身体机能下降。为了正常运作，必须具备力量、平衡和能量等基本要素。然后必须将这些要素整合起来，使功能达到更高水平，从简单的行走和进食到复杂的社会角色需求，如家庭伴侣或工作搜救犬。生物衰老过程，如肌肉力量下降、心肺功能减弱、慢性炎症和与年龄相关的疾病，以及医疗治疗的副作用，都导致身体机能障碍。环境因素，如缺乏体育锻炼的机会，或由于主人的社会经济状况而限制获得兽医护理，也会影响犬类与年龄相关的功能下降。在人类中，有成熟的临床评估可用于评估身体功能，这些评估可以预测残疾、发病率和死亡率。还有经过充分支持的干预措施，可以保持和恢复功能，降低老年人的死亡和疾病风险。由于人类和犬类的衰老的基本生物学和临床表型非常相似，因此这些评估和干预措施可能适用于减轻老年犬的身体功能下降。本综述评估了犬类随年龄增长身体功能下降的情况，以及为人类开发的临床评估工具和干预措施在该物种中的潜在应用。
