title: Aging and Multimorbidity: New Tasks, Priorities, and Frontiers for Integrated Gerontological and Clinical Research.
abstract: Aging is characterized by rising susceptibility to development of multiple chronic diseases and, therefore, represents the major risk factor for multimorbidity. From a gerontological perspective, the progressive accumulation of multiple diseases, which significantly accelerates at older ages, is a milestone for progressive loss of resilience and age-related multisystem homeostatic dysregulation. Because it is most likely that the same mechanisms that drive aging also drive multiple age-related chronic diseases, addressing those mechanisms may reduce the development of multimorbidity. According to this vision, studying multimorbidity may help to understand the biology of aging and, at the same time, understanding the underpinnings of aging may help to develop strategies to prevent or delay the burden of multimorbidity. As a consequence, we believe that it is time to build connections and dialogue between the clinical experience of general practitioners and geriatricians and the scientists who study aging, so as to stimulate innovative research projects to improve the management and the treatment of older patients with multiple morbidities.
authors.affiliation: Translational Gerontology Branch, Longitudinal Study Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fabbri
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zoli
authors.affiliation: Translational Gerontology Branch, Longitudinal Study Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Freire
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD.
authors.forename: Marcel E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Salive
authors.affiliation: Translational Gerontology Branch, Longitudinal Study Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Studenski
authors.affiliation: Translational Gerontology Branch, Longitudinal Study Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: ferrucilu@grc.nia.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Multimorbidity; aging; chronic disease; multiple morbidities