[Trends in modern international gerontological research. Morphological aspects]

Ageing develops during the whole life with differences on cells, tissues and organs, and begins if their capacities for adaptations and compensations decrease. Theories about ageing are insufficiently. That results from the further development of ageing research in morphology also. Parenchymal cells are reduced in all organs, in favour of an enhanced connective tissue content, the function of the single parenchymal and mesenchymal cell is not diminished coincidently in ageing. In the most organs are young and old cells in every age stage (but more old cells in senile age). The most cells don't live endless, but they can be regenerated. Their organelles possess own biological half life times, which are very shorter than their cell life times. Ageing-typical increase of the total content of connective tissue, esp. of collagen in many organs is combined with alterations of the proteoglycan and collagen metaoblism rates and patterns (collagen types included), and are thereby connected with age dependent changes of the several functions of the cells, tissues and organs. Everybody, and esp. the physician has to know that the mean age of the population (and of the patients) becomes higher. So we need the morphological research in gerontology also, as demonstrated and summarized in this review.