The debate on whether to consider aging either as a natural and inevitable process or as a disease has been raging on for decades. Those who consider aging a natural process such as Callahan (1990) and Fukuyama (2002) argue that the quest to extend life does not necessarily imply a better life or is inconsistent with human nature (Caplan, 2005). Conversely, contemporary scientists are increasingly adopting the view that aging is a disease because it fits the biological definition of a disease and has a distinct cause and recognizable signs and symptoms (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). The fact that the life expectancies of humans have been rising in different parts of the world with the advent of modern medicine and technology is an indication that aging is perhaps not a given as many people assume it to be. Most of the existing scientific research on aging tend to focus on alleviating its side effects such as Alzheimer’s and dementia yet they ignore the underlying cause of all these diseases – aging. Would it more prudent to focus on the cause rather than the effects? This paper, therefore, argues that aging is a disease rather than a natural process.
The fluidity of what constitutes a normal process or a disease depends on the context. In the past, people viewed matters such as homosexuality, masturbation, and fever as diseases in their own right (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). Moreover, scientists linked conditions such as osteoporosis and isolated systolic hypertension to normal aging (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). Today, homosexuality and masturbation are considered normal while fever is deemed a symptom of diverse medical conditions. The WHO now considers osteoporosis and hypertension as diseases. Thus, aging, once a natural process, can now be treated as a disease based on several reasons. First, scientific authorities usually define a disease as a pathological change in the human body that compromises the well-being of individuals (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). Based on this definition, aging appears to have a prima facie claim to being termed a disease due to its extensive impairment on the physical, cognitive, social well-being of the elderly. It also has distinct cellular and molecular causes and noticeable signs and symptoms. The common counterargument against aging being a disease is its universality. Well, other diseases such as colds, depression, tooth decay, and neoplasm are almost universal in their distribution in various populations and seem to be inevitable phenomena, yet they are hardly considered natural (Konovalenko, 2013). WHO classifies them as diseases that need medical intervention. Thus, universality is not an appropriate criterion for distinguishing between a natural phenomenon and a disease.
Second, aging as a disease legitimizes medical efforts towards its elimination or the alleviation of the conditions associated with it (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). Once regulators lift the red tape on the biomedical research on aging, grant-awarding bodies will increase their funding for the development of biomedical or genetic procedures to slow down the aging process (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). Preliminary aging research done by biomedical scientists show a marked improvement in the health and lifespan of model organisms such as flies, rodents, fish, and worms after targeting their underlying aging processes (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). For instance, scientists can now improve the lifespan of killifish and rats by 59% and 30% respectively (Bulterijis, Hull, Bjork, & Roy, 2015). These findings seem to support the notion that aging is a disease that can be slowed down or even eliminated once scientists uncover its prognosis. The classification of aging as a disease will also cut the huge costs of welfare programs associated with the elderly. The money will then go towards enhancing other pertinent sectors of the economy such as education and infrastructure. Individuals will also incur lower medical costs associated with longevity.
Those who argue against extending life maintain that it would put unsustainable pressure on the environment through stiffer competition for resources (Lisi, 2013). This claim is unfounded because the burgeoning human population already puts pressure on the available resources. Thus, a person living longer would put no greater strain on the environment that each additional child being born daily. Besides, people will incur less medical costs that the frail elderly people we have today hence reducing the stress on medical resources. Rejuvenated people will also have more incentive to preserve the environment because of a greater probability of living in it in the future. Other critics hold that all attempts at curing aging have failed. While this is true, significant discoveries have been made about the process of aging that could yield beneficial results if aging research received more funding and people suspended their deeply held religious beliefs regarding aging and the afterlife (Lisi, 2013).
In conclusion, while aging is a universal phenomenon, it should be considered a disease rather than a natural process since it fits the biological definition of a disease. It also has distinct clinical causes, signs, and symptoms. Furthermore, the benefits that accrue from this classification far outweigh the costs of failing to address the aging problem. These advantages include longevity, lower medical expenses, cheaper welfare programs, and sustainable use of resources. Therefore, governments and grant-awarding bodies should channel more funds to aging research to enhance the quality of care.
References
Bulterijs, S., Hull, R. S., Björk, V. C., & Roy, A. G. (2015). It is time to classify biological aging as a disease. Frontiers in Genetics, 6. doi:10.3389/fgene.2015.00205
Caplan, A. L. (2005). Death as an unnatural process. EMBO Reports, 6, S72-S75. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400435
Konovalenko, M. (2013, February 27). Why It Is Ethical to Cure the Disease of Aging | Maria Konovalenko. Retrieved April 8, 2016, from https://mariakonovalenko.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/why-it-is-ethical-to-cure-the-disease-of-aging/
Lisi, A. G. (2013). Edge.org. Retrieved April 8, 2016, from https://www.edge.org/response-detail/23743
