Staging concept for ageing management: definition, mechanism and coping strategies

Ageing, as a gradual and largely irreversible biological process, characterised by declining organismal vitality and multi-organ functional impairment. While research on ageing constitutes a major scientific focus, current efforts concentrate on two domains: elucidating fundamental mechanisms of ageing and developing anti-ageing strategies, and addressing the social management of ageing populations. A critical gap persists in the clinical understanding and management of ageing itself. Specifically, there is insufficient recognition and structured approach towards ageing within clinical practice. To address this, we propose a novel clinical staging system for ageing, which based on manifestations observed by distinct stages. For each stage, we delineate the clinical presentations, biological phenomena, theoretical underpinnings, and key management priorities. This framework aims to bridge the current void in the clinical conceptualization and stage-specific management of ageing, establishing a novel foundation for a structured, staged management model. We anticipate this framework will contribute significantly to advancing the goal of healthy aging.