[krapp]

It differs in that it can't be cured. Although I suppose you could consider it a terminal illness then by definition.

Life can be extended, perhaps. Made more productive, certainly. But a cure for death? Show me one organism in nature anywhere near as complex as a human being with the capacity for unlimited aging and I'll believe it's possible. Technologically extending life for a few decades on average with a battery of complex and expensive medical treatments is not a cure.

Otherwise, looking at death or aging as a disease, while it might provide the catalyst for any number of worthwhile medical advances, also provides false hope. It's like waiting for the Singularity to happen so we can all upload our minds into the Eschaton. It's just another form of hoping for an afterlife.

Yes, absolutely act as if it can be cured, but don't believe it can.