Worldwide, people are living longer, but unfortunately old age is often associated with chronic diseases and disability. The aging populations challenge the social and health care systems but also affect the society in other ways that sometimes may also be positive.
In many countries, the large generations born in the late 1940’s and 1950’s are approaching their retirement age and the oldest ones even their old age. The health and functional ability of these generations when they reach old age, that is age of 75-80 or higher, will have dramatic effect on health care systems. From another viewpoint, the health and functional ability also affect how older adults experience their lives, are able to contribute to the society and also to their families’ life and interaction over generations.
In order to improve the health of older people and to compress morbidity to a short period of time at the end of life, we need information about determinants of health and functional ability -- in physical but also in psychological/cognitive and social sense -- at old age and about how it can be improved. Existing knowledge indicate that especially midlife health and lifestyle factors but also even prenatal events are associated with morbidity, disability at old age – and also the probability to reach old age. The questions still remain what is essential, what is modifiable and to whom possible interventions should be targeted and when.
This Article Collection aims to summarize current knowledge and recent research findings concerning the different effects of early- and mid-life factors on the health at old age, by presenting both original manuscripts and reviews that could help health-care professionals in optimizing the health of their aging patients. The areas covered may include health-related factors, such as diseases and frailty, as well as occupational, lifestyle and environmental factors but the outcome of interest is health, physical performance, functional ability, and quality of life. We especially welcome studies that answer to the question, how the health at old age could be improved and to whom different preventive strategies should be targeted to. The focus is on an aging individual as a whole, not on specific diseases.
Some examples (but not limited to) of the subtopics include:
- How to promote successful aging over the life-course
- Effect of midlife chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease and risk factors, on the health at old age
- How different lifestyle factors affect functional ability and quality of life and how long their effects last
- How to promote future health at the time of retirement
- Prevention of frailty and disability after retirement
- Effective interventions in maintaining functional ability
- Predictors of social and psychological aspects of health at old age
- Evidence about compression of morbidity
- Personalized risk assessment
- Targeting of preventive interventions in old age
- The role of pharmacotherapy in healthy aging
- Possibilities of geroscience – current status
Annals of Medicine accepts the following types of articles:
- Research Article (systematic/meta-analysis reviews and observational studies)
- Review Article
- Clinical Trials
- Protocols
- Case Series
- Commentary
Dr. Timo Strandberg is Professor Emeritus of Geriatrics (Universities of Helsinki and Oulu), Past President of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS), and current chairperson of the Clinical Section of the IAGG European Region. Strandberg has a specialist degree in both geriatrics and internal medicine. His research interests cover especially cardiovascular diseases and their prevention, frailty, and cognitive disorders (eg. in the FINGER study). Dr. Strandberg is the editor of the section of Geriatrics of the Annals of Medicine.
Dr. Esa Jämsen is Professor of Geriatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland, and chief geriatrician at Helsinki University Hospital. Jämsen has a specialist degree in geriatric medicine and his clinical background is in acute geriatrics and in co-operation with other medical specialties, especially with surgeons, aiding the inter-professional care of older acutely ill or injured people. His research interests cover acute geriatric care, outcomes of surgery in older people, and geriatric pharmacotherapy. Dr. Jämsen is the editor of the section of Geriatrics of the Annals of Medicine.
Esa Jämsen | University of Helsinki
Disclosure Statement: Dr. Strandberg declares various cooperation (research, consultative, educational) with several companies (incl. Amgen, GSK, Novartis, Orion Pharma, Sankyo) and NGOs related to geriatrics and gerontology. Dr. Jämsen has no conflicts of interest to declare.
The deadline for submitting manuscripts is March 1st, 2024.
When submitting your article, please select the section, 'Geriatrics', and the Special Issue, 'Life Course Determinants of Health at Old Age' from the drop-down menu on the submission system.
Annals of Medicine is an online, open-access, international journal publishing across all areas of medicine and is part of our Elevate Series. This means that you will receive a concierge-level publishing experience, including dedicated support from our expert in-house Editorial team, with guaranteed response times of within 48 hours, an initial decision on whether your article will be peer-reviewed within 5 working days, and a first decision on your research within an average of 22 working days.
