Is arteriosclerosis a life prolonging, adaptive process?
Arteriosclerosis is believed by many to represent the aging process of arteries and to be responsible for the cause-specific deaths at any age in industrialized countries. However, the increasing rate of (A) associated with steadily increasing life expectancy invited studies of the average age at death (AAD) of conditions with prominent (A) (ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, "atherosclerosis"). Data were obtained from "Vital Statistics of the U.S.A.", (Vol. II, Mortality), Section 8, Tables VIII-V). Persons above the age of 40 were studied. The (A) groups were compared to the "normals" from whom (in addition to the groups with prominent arteriosclerosis,) accidents, suicides, homicides and other "external" causes of death were deducted. We also excluded malignancies because the AAD would have prejudiced the data in favor of our assumption. In general the (A) groups had significantly higher (AAD's) than the "normals". Exceptions were white males with ischemic heart disease whose (AAD) was lower than that of the "normals". This was also true for white males and females with myocardial infarction. Although (A) may exceed its normal function leading to lesions (e.g., myocardial infarction) in the majority of the cases it seems to be a life prolonging adaptive process which is in line with evolutionary expectations.
Kaunitz
H
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Department of Pathology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology