Old Age

[4getmenot]

How young can you die of old age?

[bonzi!]

easy, your organs just conk out, like an old banger of a car, it just stops working

[WoWo]

When you are young your body constantly regenerates and rebuilds the body when it becomes damaged however as life goes on the body becomes less able to deal with this and things that previously wouldn't have effected you now do.

This means that you don't die of old age but the body just becomes unable to deal with problems it has.

This is similar to AIDS, people don't die of AIDS but die of an illness which the body is unable to fight because AIDS destroys the bodies ability to fight infection.

A common killer of the old and people with AIDS is Pneumonia

http://www.reutershealth.com/wellconnected/doc64.html

[WoWo]

Seems both Bonzi need to learn how to read :)

I don't suppose there is a definative answer to the question. I think it tends to be people in their 80's and over that get to the stage where the body is no longer able to recover.

[shazbang]

i dont think thats the answer 4getmenot was after. you're asking how you define 'old' aren't you? at what point in our lives do we become 'old' and what age you have to be when you die for the cause of your death to be of 'old age'?

[4getmenot]

Yer just wandered, obviously confused some :-)

[Quizmonster]

About 10, perhaps? I say that because 13 is the average age at which children with the disease, progeria - premature old age - die.

[Jennykins]

40... no im kidding. haha What I think that means is when your heart just stops for no medical reason other than being old.. like a light bulb.. it can only last so long before it just burns out right..

I dont know , thats my thought on it.. JEN