TY - JOUR T1 - Respiratory muscle senescence in ageing and chronic lung diseases JF - European Respiratory Review JO - EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW DO - 10.1183/16000617.0087-2020 VL - 29 IS - 157 SP - 200087 AU - Joaquim Gea AU - Pilar Ausín AU - Juana Ma Martínez-Llorens AU - Esther Barreiro Y1 - 2020/09/30 UR - http://err.ersjournals.com/content/29/157/200087.abstract N2 - Ageing is a progressive condition that usually leads to the loss of physiological properties. This process is also present in respiratory muscles, which are affected by both senescent changes occurring in the whole organism and those that are more specific for muscles. The mechanisms of the latter changes include oxidative stress, decrease in neurotrophic factors and DNA abnormalities. Ageing normally coexists with comorbidities, including respiratory diseases, which further deteriorate the structure and function of respiratory muscles. In this context, changes intrinsic to ageing become enhanced by more specific factors such as the impairment in lung mechanics and gas exchange, exacerbations and hypoxia. Hypoxia in particular has a direct effect on muscles, mainly through the expression of inducible factors (hypoxic-inducible factor), and can result in oxidative stress and changes in DNA, decrease in mitochondrial biogenesis and defects in the tissue repair mechanisms. Intense exercise can also cause damage in respiratory muscles of elderly respiratory patients, but this can be followed by tissue repair and remodelling. However, ageing interferes with muscle repair by tampering with the function of satellite cells, mainly due to oxidative stress, DNA damage and epigenetic mechanisms. In addition to the normal process of ageing, stress-induced premature senescence can also occur, involving changes in the expression of multiple genes but without modifications in telomere length.Ageing leads to loss of respiratory muscle function, mostly through changes in respiratory mechanics, oxidative stress, probable mild muscle atrophy, excitation/contraction uncoupling and impaired bioenergetics. Premature senescence can also be present. https://bit.ly/32n4gkR ER -