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Chronological Age Proxy Failure

Meaning

This clinical observation describes the inadequacy of chronological age, the time elapsed since birth, as a reliable surrogate marker for an individual’s true physiological health, disease risk, and functional capacity. It acknowledges the high inter-individual variability in the rate of biological decline, a reality often obscured by a single, arbitrary number. In endocrinology, this failure is evident when a patient’s hormone panel and metabolic biomarkers are incongruent with the expected age-related norms.