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Is aging a preventable or curable disease?

D Callahan1, E Topinkova

  • 1Hastings Center, Garrison, New York, USA. Callahan@thehastingscenter.org

Drugs & Aging
|September 18, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Aging is a natural process, but contemporary medicine increasingly treats it like a disease. This approach raises ethical questions about resource allocation and balancing medical care with other societal needs.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Medical Ethics
  • Public Health Policy

Background:

  • The classification of aging as a disease is a long-standing debate.
  • Three distinct perspectives exist: aging as natural, aging as a disease, or aging as a natural condition treated as a disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline the different philosophical and medical positions on aging.
  • To analyze the implications of treating aging as a disease in contemporary medicine.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of the concept of disease.
  • Review of current medical practices and their ethical underpinnings.

Main Results:

  • Contemporary medicine often adopts the stance of treating aging as a disease to mitigate its effects.

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  • This approach necessitates addressing intergenerational equity in healthcare funding.
  • Balancing the medical needs of the elderly with broader societal requirements is crucial.

    • Conclusions:

    • While aging is a natural process, its medicalization presents complex ethical and societal challenges.
    • Future approaches must consider fairness in resource distribution and the integration of elderly care within overall social priorities.