Liver, ageing and disease

Abstract

As the global population ages, research on the biology of ageing and its role in chronic disease is expanding, alongside a growing clinical focus on the unique needs of older adults. In the past, the liver was not thought to undergo substantial age-related changes, nor was there thought to be any liver disease characteristic of older adults. Current studies challenge this perspective, revealing that ageing substantially influences liver pathophysiology at the organ level and within each of the liver cell types. These observations have implications for understanding the pathogenesis of liver diseases common in older adults, including hepatocellular carcinoma, hypoxic hepatitis and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Previously, managing older patients with liver disease mostly addressed age-related changes in drug metabolism and liver function tests. However, current clinical practice increasingly emphasizes age-specific issues such as frailty, sarcopenia, multimorbidity and polypharmacy. Given the liver’s pivotal role in systemic metabolism, immunity and detoxification, ageing of the liver can contribute to systemic diseases. In the future, interventions that target ageing biology might offer new treatment options for liver diseases. Here, we review those age-related changes in the liver that have substantial biological and clinical consequences for older adults. Older adults can be affected by multiple chronic medical conditions, including liver disease. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of age-related pathophysiological changes in the liver and discusses interventions and treatment options for older patients.