PREMATURE AGING INDICES IN PATIENTS WITH MODERATE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK

Abstract

Aging is characterized with a gradual aggravation of organ function throughout life and can occur both physiologically and prematurely. With premature aging there is an early decrease in the adaptive mechanisms of all physiological systems of the body, there is a significant reduction in physical and mental activities, that contributes to the early development of age−related pathology. Genetic and epigenetic factors, as well as environmental ones can be the causes of different rates of aging. It is not possible to accurately determine the onset of old age by biological characteristics, because people with the same calendar age are not always the same as for biological one. To establish the association of age−related disease factors with the markers of premature aging and biological age in the patients of various age groups, a study was performed in the patients aged 25−44 and 45−59 years with moderate cardiovascular risk in accordance with the SCORE scale. The primary task for predicting and preventing the age−associated diseases is to identify genetic, molecular and cellular factors that determine the rate of aging and increase the risk of age−associated diseases. The role of cardiovascular risk factors in premature aging has been determined. It is established that the most important factors that lead to an increase in biological age and formation of age−associated diseases are the disorders of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and level of oxidative stress, importance of which progresses with age. The relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and biological age, estimated with different methods, their influence on telomere length, that allows the designing of an algorithm to determine the markers of premature aging in different age groups for early and effective prevention of metabolic−associated diseases, has been established. Key words: biological age, cardiovascular risk, premature aging, telomere length.