The “Endocrinology of Aging: Clinical Aspects in Diagrams and Images” is the first edition of a comprehensive book published in the area of clinical aspects in diagrams and images, incorporating geriatric principles into clinical practice. The novelty of this book consists in the presentation of geriatric pathology correlated with the endocrinology and metabolic disorders in a suggestive, visual way.
The textbook is divided into 20 chapters providing evidence-based content regarding the correlation between the function of endocrine and metabolic systems altered during the aging process. Endocrine disorders are presented as thyroid and parathyroid disorders, pituitary disorders and adrenal disorders. Diabetes mellitus and also metabolic disorders are well presented in correlation with the aging process.
In the first section, the textbook of the Endocrinolgy of Aging briefly describes the basic principles of aging with endocrine and nutritional implications and also includes the physiology and hypothalamic- pituitary disease. Furthermore the book contains clinical information about the physiology and disease of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands: morphological and physiological changes in the elderly and the correlation between vitamin D and calcium deficiency with senile and postmenopausal osteoporosis.
In the second section of this textbook is presented the male hypogonadism in advanced age: physiology, etiology and diagnosis and also the gynecomastia, benign hypertrophy and prostatic cancer in advanced age as well as endocrine surgery in elderly patients.
The final section is represented by the metabolic aspects and body composition that changes with age. In this section a major topic is the one about obesity which is described as an accelerator of aging and functional decline. Another important topic of this final section is the diabetes mellitus and complications of this disorder that include: hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome, hyponatremia and dehydration. The novelty of this chapter is the relationship between frailty, sarcopenia and endocrine-metabolic changes of advanced age.
The authors are clinical endocrinologists, geriatricians, internists and endocrine surgeons who describe the characteristic pathological expressions of hormonal and metabolic disorders in the advanced age. The main editor Emiliano Copas, MD, PhD, is a specialist in Endocrinology, Nutrition, Internal Medicine and Gerontology. He is a former Medical Associate of the Gerontology Research Centre of the National Institute on Aging (NIH-NIA) in Baltimore, Maryland (USA). He is also an Associate Professor of Endocrinology at the University of Alcalà, Madrid, Spain.
The “Endocrinology of Aging: Clinical Aspects in Diagrams and Images” includes many pictures and diagrams, making it a user-friendly reference guide for practicing physicians.
According to the United Nations, the number of people aged 60 years or over in the world is projected to be 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion in 2050. Endocrinologists and other clinicians face the challenge of caring for the elderly.
To do so, they need to incorporate geriatric principles into their clinical practice. “Endocrinology of Aging: Clinical Aspects in Diagrams and Images” presents chapters in a way that allows the reader to incorporate concepts and main facts of complex subjects in a visual way. As the global population becomes older, the need for a deeper understanding of geriatric pathology increases, and with it, the access to educational resources for the endocrinology and metabolism of aging.