Age‐related changes in wound healing

Summary

Knowledge of the physiology of wound healing, in particular the recovery of the dermal and epidermal compartments and the co‐ordination of these processes by the cytokine network, is of great importance to rational wound management. The individual components of the wound healing process have been studied using various in vttro and in vivo models, comparing young, adult and aged individuals. Many ofthc processes involved in wound healing are impaired in the elderly. However, in elderly patients not suffering from concomitant diseases, the rate of wound healing is normal or (tnly slightly reduced. Various ‘systemic factors’ (endocrine and haematolugical diseases, nutritional deficiencies and medications) and ‘regional disorders’ (vascular and neural diseases) ma impair wound healing. These complicating conditions occur more frequently in aged subjects. Failure of wound healing in the elderly is a chronic disabling condition, which occurs frequently in our society, requiring a major investment of medical care.