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Hypertension

Causes: The amount of blood the heart pumps and how hard it is for the blood to move through the arteries.

Symptoms: Most people don't have symptoms, a few people with high blood pressure may have:

Headaches

Shortness of breath

Nosebleeds

Risk factor:

Age. The risk increases with age. Until about age 64. Is more common in men. Women are more likely to develop it after age 65.

Race. Is particularly common among Black people. Develops at an earlier age in Black people than it does in white people.

Family history. You may develop it if you have a parent or sibling with the condition.

Obesity or being overweight. Excess weight causes changes in different parts of the body. These changes often increase blood pressure. If you have high colesterol also is a risk factor.

Lack of exercise. Not exercising can cause weight gain.

Tobacco use or vaping. Smoking, chewing tobacco or vaping immediately raises blood pressure for a short while.

Too much salt. A lot of salt, sodium, in the body can cause the body to retain fluid. This increases blood pressure.

Low potassium levels. Potassium helps balance the amount of salt in the body's cells.

Drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol use has been linked with increased blood pressure, particularly in men.

Stress. High levels of stress can lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure.

Certain chronic conditions. Kidney disease, diabetes and sleep apnea are some of the conditions that can lead to high blood pressure.

Pregnancy. Sometimes pregnancy causes high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is most common in adults.

Diagnose:

Your provider listens to your heart using a device called a stethoscope, your blood pressure is checked using a cuff and it should be measured in both arms to see if there's a difference.

Treatment:

Eating a heart-healthy diet with less salt

Getting regular physical activity

Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight

Limiting alcohol

Not smoking

Getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily

Prevention:

Eat healthy foods

Use less salt

Limit alcohol

Don't smoke

Maintain a healthy weight

Get more exercise

Practice good sleep habits

Manage stress

Try slow, deep breathing

Family Impact:

Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to remember all the information. Someone who may help you remember something that you missed or forgot.

Bibliography:

High blood pressure (hypertension) - Diagnosis & treatment - Mayo Clinic. (2024, February 29). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20373417

High blood pressure (hypertension) - Symptoms & causes - Mayo Clinic. (2024, February 29). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410

Keystone Health. (2021a, September 7). Geriatric Diseases: Age-Related Medical Conditions & Illnesses. https://keystone.health/geriatric-diseases#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20might%20be,more%20common%20among%20older%20adults.

Keystone Health. (2021b, September 7). Geriatric Diseases: Age-Related Medical Conditions & Illnesses. https://keystone.health/geriatric-diseases

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INCONTINENCE URINARY

The urinary incontinence is a most common illnesses in a geriatrics patients.

The symptoms depend the patient, the age, the environment and other factors, but the most common are:

Stress incontinence.

Urge incontinence.

Overflow incontinence.

Functional incontinence.

Mixed incontinence.

If this symptoms affect you daily routine you should to visit the doctor, and express your symptoms and when they started.

The patients with this illness can experiment a embarrassing situations if they can’t controle.

Some food have a diuretics, for example:

Alcohol

Caffeine

Carbonated drinks and sparkling water

Artificial sweeteners

Chocolate

Chili peppers

You must to have control and eat responsibly.

Treatment:

Exercise 20-30 minutes.

Reduce the alcohol and caffeine.

Good nutrition.

Risk factors:

Age

Pregnancy

Cancer

Menopause

Bibliography:

Keystone Health. (2021, September 7). Geriatric Diseases: Age-Related Medical Conditions & Illnesses. https://keystone.health/geriatric-diseases#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20might%20be,more%20common%20among%20older%20adults.

Urinary incontinence - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic. (2023, February 9). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352814

Urinary incontinence - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic. (2023, February 9). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/symptoms-causes/syc-20352808

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ARTHRITIS

This is a chronic disease that most older adults suffer from, since their age is a broad risk factor.

There are two types:

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

It is not a disease that can be cured but it can greatly reduce the patient's symptoms.

The patients with this illness reduce your life quality, it’s important prevent and change the habits.

Symptoms include:

Pain, stiffness and sensitivity of the joints, especially those that affect the patient the most.

Joint inflammation.

Very superficial movements.

Treatment:

Physiotherapy

Self Care

Good Nutrition

Medications

Exercise

Risk Factors:

Age

Nutrition

Habits

Addictions

Bibliography:

Arthritis - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic. (2023, August 29). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350777

Arthritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic. (2023, August 29). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350772

Keystone Health. (2021, September 7). Geriatric Diseases: Age-Related Medical Conditions & Illnesses. https://keystone.health/geriatric-diseases#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20might%20be,more%20common%20among%20older%20adults.

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Multiple Sclerosis

Causes: The cause is unknown, but it's considered as an immune mediated disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues.

Symptoms:

Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs

Tingling

Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements

Lack of coordination

Unsteady gait or inability to walk

Partial or complete loss of vision, usually in one eye at a time, often with pain during eye movement

Prolonged double vision

Blurry vision

Vertigo

Problems with sexual, bowel and bladder function

Fatigue

Slurred speech

Cognitive problems

Mood disturbances

Risk Factor:

Age. Can occur at any age, but usually occurs around 20 and 40 years of age.

Sex. Women are more than 2 to 3 times as likely as men are to have relapsing-remitting MS.

Family history. If one of your parents or siblings has had MS, you have a higher risk of developing the disease.

Certain infections. A variety of viruses have been linked to MS.

Race. White people are at highest risk of developing MS. People of Asian, African or Native American descent have the lowest risk. Studies suggests that the number of Black and Hispanic young adults with multiple sclerosis may be greater than previously thought.

Climate. MS is far more common in countries with temperate climates. Your birth month may also affect the chances of developing multiple sclerosis, since exposure to the sun when a mother is pregnant seems to decrease later development of multiple sclerosis in these children.

Vitamin D. Having low levels of vitamin D and low exposure to sunlight is associated with a greater risk of MS.

Your genes. A gene on chromosome 6p21 has been found to be associated with multiple sclerosis.

Obesity. An association with obesity and multiple sclerosis has been found in females.

Certain autoimmune diseases. If you have other autoimmune disorders.

Smoking. Smokers who experience an initial symptom that may signal MS.

Diagnosis:

A diagnosis often relies on ruling out other conditions that might produce similar signs and symptoms, known as a differential diagnosis. The doctor likely start with a thorough medical history and examination.

Then recommend:

Blood tests, to help rule out other diseases with symptoms like MS.

Spinal tap (lumbar puncture): A small sample of cerebrospinal fluid is removed from your spinal canal for laboratory analysis.

MRI: which can reveal areas of lesions on your brain, cervical and thoracic spinal cord.

Evoked potential tests that record the electrical signals produced by your nervous system in response to stimuli may be done.

In most people with relapsing-remitting MS, the diagnosis is straightforward and based on a pattern of symptoms consistent with the disease and confirmed by brain imaging scans

Diagnosing MS can be more difficult in people with unusual symptoms or progressive disease.

Treatment:

There is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but you can speeding recovery from attacks, reducing new radiographic and clinical relapses, slowing the progression of the disease, and managing MS symptoms.

Family Impact:

A family member may help you with:

Get plenty of rest.

Exercise.

Cool down.

Eat a balanced diet.

Relieve stress.

Bilbliography:

Keystone Health. (2021, September 7). Geriatric Diseases: Age-Related Medical Conditions & Illnesses. https://keystone.health/geriatric-diseases#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20might%20be,more%20common%20among%20older%20adults.

Multiple sclerosis - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic. (2022, December 24). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350274

Multiple sclerosis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic. (2022, December 24). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269

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Cataracts
As you grow old the tissue that makes up your eyes lens begins to change as protein and fibers break down the lens of your eyes becomes clouded and unable to focus images. It can also be caused by injuries to the eyes. Other factors that help the development of this include diseases like diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, long-term steroid use, smoking, & radiation treatments.

Visual function is reduced by nearly 25% in the population aged over 65, as a result of age-related diseases such as arterial hypertension, macular degeneration, glaucoma, or diabetes.

Symptoms don't become noticeable until the protein clumps are large enough to distort your vision. However, one of the first symptoms of cataracts is a high sensitivity to glare or bright lights, trouble seeing at night, light sensitivity, inability to see bright colors & double vision.

In early stages, it can be treated with lenses that help improve vision, but surgery is the only way to completely remove them. There is no way to prevent the disease, but there are recommendations to stay in shape, eat healthy, not smoke or drink, and exercise regularly. This disease impacts people's lives because it affects their vision and can cause many inconveniences.

Bibliography:

Aging, cataracts, and driving - Fundación MAPFRE. (2021, March 9). Fundación MAPFRE. https://www.fundacionmapfre.org/en/education-outreach/road-safety/mobility-safe-health/clinical-topics-and-safe-driving/sight-hearing/aging-cataracts/

VIPcare. (2023, July 20). Cataracts in Older Adults: What you need to know | VIPCare. VIPcare. https://getvipcare.com/blog/cataracts-in-older-adults-what-you-need-to-know/

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Arteriosclerosis
Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your entire body. As you get old they may harden as plaque-made up of cholesterol, fat, calcium, and fibrous tissue builds up within them narrowing the vessels. It’s very dangerous because it can cause heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. Healthy arteries may be flexible and elastic. But over time they become harder. The symptoms don't show until the artery is already blocked, sometimes completely obstructing blood flow.
Atherosclerosis usually starts in the teens and 20s and by the 30s, but from the 40s, cholesterol begins to store in the arteries. Age is not the only causing factor, it can also be the extra weight, smoking, lack of exercise, and eating a lot of unhealthy foods and many more bad habits.
The number of people over 65 dying from this illness is growing. In America about half of people aged 45 to 84 have atherosclerosis but aren't aware of it according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.You don't notice the symptoms until the artery is 70% blocked.
It's detected by a clinical exam. This includes using a stethoscope to listen to your heart and blood flow through your arteries. Also by asking about the medical history of the family. They may diagnose it with tests like angiography, chest X-ray, and others. Their treatments include changes, medications, procedures, or surgeries.
Depending on the location of your atherosclerosis. The best recommendation is to change your lifestyle habits. Avoid all tobacco products, follow a heart-healthy eating plan like the Mediterranean Diet. Build physical activity into your daily routine. For prevention, eat foods low in saturated fat, get regular physical activity, and manage your weight.
This illness impacts because it can cause a heart attack and take away the life of this person. It affects both the person and their family because of the loss.

Bibliography:

Atherosclerosis. (2024, May 1). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16753-atherosclerosis-arterial-disease

Brody, B. (2024, June 24). Atherosclerosis: your arteries age by age. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/atherosclerosis-your-arteries-age-by-age

Tyrrell, D. J., & Goldstein, D. R. (2020). Ageing and atherosclerosis: vascular intrinsic and extrinsic factors and potential role of IL-6. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 18(1), 58–68. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-020-0431-7