Old Age Diseases PDF

People worldwide are living longer. However, this increase in human life expectancy is not matched by an equal increase in healthspan.

In a recent study, we identified 278 diseases with rates of disease onset that increased with age and clustered them by their patterns. We found four clusters that were highly associated with ageing: Cluster 1 comprised dementia and delirium; Cluster 2 included cardiac conduction deficits including trifascicular block and bifascicular block; and Cluster 3 contained a range of cancers and digestive system diseases.

Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a term that describes problems with your heart and blood vessels. It can cause heart attack, stroke and other health problems.

Over time, fat and cholesterol can build up in your blood vessel walls, forming a thick, hard substance called plaque. This can narrow your blood vessels and block blood flow to your heart and other organs. If a piece of plaque breaks off and travels to your brain, you may have a stroke.

A person’s risk of cardiovascular diseases increases with age, sex and family history. Symptoms of heart and blood vessel disease include chest pain or pressure, tiredness, shortness of breath, coldness in the arms or legs and numbness. A person can also experience heart rhythm disorders, such as irregular, fast or fluttering heartbeats. A doctor can prescribe medications to help treat cardiovascular diseases. They can also recommend lifestyle changes to reduce your risk. These include a healthy diet, regular physical activity, not smoking and managing diabetes and high blood pressure.





Cancers

Cancers are abnormal cells that grow out of control, damaging surrounding tissue and organs. Many cancers begin in the skin, breast, lungs and intestines, so it’s important to screen for them on a regular basis with clinical exams, screening tests and/or diagnostic procedures.

Age-related hearing loss is a common condition, caused by the wearing down of tiny hairs in your ears that process sound. This can lead to difficulties following conversations in noisy areas, hearing certain consonants, and voices seeming muffled.

However, poor health is not a normal part of aging, and the burden of disease in old age can be reduced by making good choices throughout life. A recent study combined mathematical modelling with big data statistics to distinguish between diseases that are strongly linked to ageing and those that could potentially be avoided by healthy lifestyle choices. The findings were published today in PNAS Nexus.

Neurological Diseases

Neurological diseases are perhaps the most frightening of all illnesses to befall a human being. While other ailments, such as a malfunctioning pancreas, are understandable in some ways, neurological disorders are not.

They can range from serious, life-threatening conditions like stroke and hydrocephalus to less harmful but debilitating diseases such as dementia and migraine. In some cases, such as in the case of multiple sclerosis, symptoms can even get worse over time.

Generally, they are diseases affecting the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular plate and muscles. Symptoms can include muscle weakness, numbness (partial or complete), loss of balance and coordination, seizures and speech difficulties. Many patients with neurological diseases have to be relocated to special clinics for treatment. This can be a bitter pill to swallow, but at least it will put them in a safe and controlled environment where they can receive care for their condition. It may also allow them to be potential research subjects for future treatments.

Gastrointestinal Diseases

Gastrointestinal diseases can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from your mouth to your anus. They are divided into two categories: functional and structural.

Functional diseases are those in which your GI tract looks normal but doesn’t move properly and include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), food poisoning, nausea, gas, bloating and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These symptoms can be caused by a variety of factors including eating a diet low in fiber, travel or changing routine, certain medications and overuse of anti-diarrheal medicines that weaken bowel muscle movement.

Structural GI diseases are those in which your bowel looks abnormal upon examination and doesn’t work properly, or needs to be removed surgically. These include strictures, stenosis, hemorrhoids and diverticular disease. These diseases can be caused by a number of factors, including age, genetics and stress. A lot of people with these diseases can control their symptoms through a healthy diet, lifestyle and medication. Others may need surgery.