Aging and Hematopoiesis

Increase in life expectancy has resulted in a major demographic global shift toward an elderly population. As a consequence, the prevalence of a multitude of age-associated diseases has increased gradually in the last decades, resulting in an increased number of hospitalizations of elderly individuals. A better understanding of the mechanisms that cause aging is crucial in order to mitigate age-associated clinical conditions. Multiple “hallmarks” of cellular/molecular aging have been proposed. Aging is a heterogeneous process, leading to impairment, malfunction, and failure of cells and tissues. One of the hallmarks of aging relates to stem cell exhaustion. Tissue homeostasis is maintained by stem cells, and their regenerative potential is severely reduced during normal aging. The hematopoietic system is affected by this process in different ways. In this chapter, we will focus on the clinical hematological manifestations that are observed in elderly individuals and discuss the potential molecular causes of age-associated dysfunctions.