If someone who died in old age, what is it really mean?

Question

If you were to die in old age that mean your death is not because of illness, correct? So what is the “main reason” that kills you? What kind of organs failure? For example, heart or lung failure? Or shortness of breath?

Answer 1

Generally it is heart failure. Also kidney and liver failure are common too.

Answer 2

Generally it means that some variant of illness got him, not
murder, suicide or accident.

Let's face it, a cold can kill you when you're 120.

Generally, when someone is really old, neither the medical
establishment nor the family is all that interested in just which
organ failed first - but ultimately, its the heart that fails last.

All deaths are caused by a cascade of events - one organ
shuts down, causing another to shut down, causing another ...
If you are really weak, due to compromised immune system
or just age, relatively minor failures are enough to start the
dominos toppling.

We've never said "he died of old age" as it is truly meaningless.
We do, however, say "Complications from old age."

For instance, my 81 year old grandmother broke her leg, but the
trauma was enough to trigger heart problems, a stroke, etc, etc.

In that case, even an accident would be considered "Complications
from old age" for surely a younger healthier individual would have
survived a simple bone fracture.

Commonly, the 2nd to last organs to fail are kidneys (renal failure),
or liver, but it can also simply be lack of oxygen getting to the brain
which causes nerves to die which causes the heart to die.

Medically speaking, getting old sucks.

Fortunately, there are other things to make up for it.

Answer 3

What a question, truly. Our parts wear out, just like a car's parts can't last forever. I sure hope I die of old age in my sleep rather than coming down with an illness where I lay and suffer and am a burden before I die.

Answer 4

Dying of old age just means that your body has worn out. Can cover heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure or any other organ that stops working due to age and disease.

Answer 5

My mother had heart failure but in her last days her kidneys shut down first, after that its only a matter of time before everything else starts to shut down. But to die in "old age" could mean anything, my mom was 83.

Answer 6

Its different for everyone...but it usually means a certain organ just failed becuase of old age...most likely the heart, or some other major organ...but there is really nothing that could be done because they wouldn't survive an operation anyways....its just the way of life :o(

Answer 7

Scientifically, nobody dies of "old age." It is because that people become physically frail and more prone to health problems as they grow older and their body is wearing down. In the end, it is a result of a problem normally brought on by the person's weaker condition, such as heart or kidney problems, that eventually kills the person.

Answer 8

In medical terms, it simply means that the parts of the body are worn from use and cannot function anymore. Surroundings and the condition of the locality can be a part of it as well. One may pass away from natural causes in the United States and be 75, while someone in Ethiopia may pass away of natural causes and be 40. I beleive that people die because their mission on earth is completed.

Answer 9

Well I think when you die of old age, your heart wears out or your organs stop functioning. They just come to a stop and get worn out from being alive for so long.

Answer 10

Heart failure = #1 cause for death by old age.


Everyone is programmed to die of "old age". As we reach "old age" we become less sexually fit and are relatively unable to successfully reproduce... ie fitness. Our organs start to such down and we die.

Answer 11

Coulc be a combimation of all, but every death is different. Even if it is old age, there is one organ that fails first, escentiaaly causing the death. It will be recorded by the doctor who pronounced the person dead.