What is the main reason that kill you when you died of old age?

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 organ failure? For example, heart or lung failure? Or shortness of breath?

Answer 1

When people "die of old age", they die due to the diseases of senility. Alzheimer's disease is a major cause of death; plaques form in the brain and gradually all neural functions deteriorate, not simply memory. Other common causes of death in the elderly include: arteriosclerosis which can precipitate cerebrovascular accidents (strokes), ruptures of the abdominal aorta, and various lethal cardiac conditions such as congestive heart failure and fatal arrhythmias. Cancer is another common malady of the aged. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema) is a problem which is progressive. Diabetes is another. All of the conditions that I have mentioned are chronic and progressive, continuing to worsen until ultimately some essential organ fails catastrophically, and the victim dies...

Answer 2

the body just deteriorates. actually, there is a gland in the back of the neck that scientists believe once allowed us at one time to live for 100s of years! but unfortunately now it does nothing.

i had another really cool part of this answer, but now i cant remember it! darn it Friends re runs!

actually there was also a study that the human soul weighs 21 grams. Dr. Duncan MacDougall of Haverhill, Massachusetts put dying patients on a scale right before they died and there was a 21 gram difference from the body at the final release of breath.

Answer 3

In strictly medical terms, when one dies of old age, it is generally due to heart failure. The heart essentially gives up. It gets tired and stops beating.

Answer 4

To die of old age means to wear away. Your body cannot sustain itself because it's worn. That is why it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle and refrain from ingesting harmful substances like alcohol which kills thousands of brain cells at a time.

Answer 5

When I was in 7th grade, I was shown a movie in science called "Bob's Final Days." Basically, one day an artery kind of broke, ruptured, leaked - whatever you want to call it - in Bob's stomach, but his blood vessels were to old to constrict well enough to heal it, and as blood leaked into his stomach, the elderly man began to feel lightheaded, laid down, and died.

Kind of creepy for a 7th grader. It's definitely had a great impact on how I view mortality even to this day.

Answer 6

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence

Aubrey de Grey claims there are 7 factors that contribute to death by old age.
1)Cell loss/ atrophy -- cells that stop replicating and self-destruct
2) Death-resistant cells
3) Nuclear mutations and epimutations (chromosomal damage)
4) mitochondiral DNA mutations (genetic damage in the metabolic powerhouse of the cell)
5) Protein crosslinks
6) Extracellular junk -- as discovered by Alzheimer
7) Intracellular junk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_de_Grey#The_seven_types_of_aging_damage_proposed_by_de_Grey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llvP-7XgTEE&mode=related&search=

Answer 7

Leading causes of 'death in old age' include cancer, heart failure and infections.

Answer 8

Grandma died because she didn't want to go to her 100th birthday party, 6 days away. It realy bothered her that an entire town was comming out to celibrate that SHE had lived in and survived 2 wars in Netherlands. They kinda stole that day from HER by not celibrating her, but what she had to do anyway, survive.

Answer 9

Basically.. the immune system grows weaker.. and weaker.. leaving us open to oxidants.. Someday science will be able to reverse aging of our cells.. and by giving us genetically "perfect" bodies.. and super immune genes.. we may live very long.. and more important.. healthy lives..

Now.. if we can just eliminate ignorance.. greed & war... ; )

Answer 10

The heart stops and breathing ceases.