Diseases and physiological changes are common in the elderly

Each person's body will constantly change with age, sometimes the normal physiological changes in the elderly are mistaken for abnormal problems. Not only are there physiological changes, the elderly will be more likely to have certain diseases than when they are young.

Physiological changes due to age are inevitable and irreversible. This change is very diverse, different between subjects and organs in the same body.
Recognizing physiological changes on organs plays a very important role in monitoring and taking care of the elderly's health.
1.1 Changes in the cardiovascular system Changes in the cardiovascular system of the elderly include:
The heart of the elderly is larger than that of a young person and occupies a larger area in the chest cavity: Although the heart size in The elderly increase but reduce the overall myocardial function volume, the ejection pressure also decreases, leading to a decrease in circulating volume, decreased perfusion of the organs. The heart valves become stiffer due to calcification, which prevents the valves from closing properly, and a physiological or pathological murmur may be heard. The system of nodes (sinus node, atrioventricular node) that generate electrical impulses to regulate heart rate is also often affected by anatomical changes of the heart, leading to premature beats and arrhythmias. However, this condition is infrequent and is not accompanied by fatigue or shortness of breath. Diastolic blood pressure in the elderly is often low, due to the weak contractility of the myocardium, a decrease in cardiac chamber pressure at rest. This is a factor that increases the risk of stroke. Peripheral resistance increases and venous valves function poorly: This condition makes it harder for blood from the periphery to return to the heart, causing stagnation in the peripheral circulation. 1.2 Changes in the respiratory system Lungs in the elderly tend to be less elastic, limiting gas exchange functions and reducing vital capacity. The ability to receive oxygen into the arterial blood in the elderly also decreases, affecting the oxygen supply to organ tissues. Reducing the number of cilia on the surface of the airways: These hairy structures play an important role in helping the elderly respond to airway foreign bodies such as food, creating a cough reflex. The number of cilia is usually more reduced if there is smoking or exposure to smog. 1.3 Changes in skin, hair, hair and nails Old people's skin is often thin and easily damaged: The number of subcutaneous tissues decreases, making the skin prone to dryness and loss of elasticity, causing the skin to show many wrinkles. The appearance of wrinkles is related to sun exposure throughout a person's life, especially during the first years of aging. The sweat glands are also reduced in activity, resulting in less sweat being secreted, making the skin dry, leading to tearing of the skin despite the small impact and more difficult to heal. The fingernails and toenails of the elderly become thick and brittle, so it is difficult to take care of their own nails and feet. Older people's hair can become gray and thin. The degree of change varies from person to person: Some people may lose hair, hair loss is not due to genetic factors but due to hormonal changes.

1.4 Changes in the digestive system Decrease esophageal motility: Slows down the movement of food through the digestive tract so that the elderly often have to chew longer and eat slower. Decreased intestinal motility, decreased gastric secretion causing malabsorption of nutrients. Decreased peristalsis of the colon prevents food from moving in the rest of the digestive tract and out of the body, thereby increasing the circulation time of the food mass in the digestive tract, causing more water to be reabsorbed. leading to an increased prevalence of constipation in the elderly. 1.5 Changes in the urinary system The filtering function of the kidneys is reduced due to the loss of a large number of glomerular filtration units. Elderly people have a lower glomerular filtration rate. Muscle tone and bladder volume are also greatly reduced. 1.6 Changes in the musculoskeletal system Decrease in total bone and muscle mass: Muscle mass is lost over time. Loss of bone mass takes place in the form of loss of bone calcium which causes bones to become brittle and weaker. 1.7 Changes in the reproductive system Reducing the amount of testosterone hormone in men and the hormones estrogen and progesterone in women leads to changes that reduce the need for sex. The change in female sex hormones leads to: Gradually reducing the mammary gland tissue in women to replace it with fatty tissue, causing vaginal dryness... Men: Decreased penile erection, premature ejaculation is often seen in men. Elderly. Testicles shrink and sperm production decreases. 1.8 Change of five senses in the elderly Decreased eyesight, decreased response to external stimuli. Ears decrease hearing function, increase the accumulation of earwax due to a decrease in the amount of water in the body. Taste and smell gradually decrease with age, affecting the ability to recognize food, causing cooking food that is too salty or too sweet... 1.9 Nervous and endocrine system changes Reducing brain weight, changes in the density of gray and white matter, the total number of neurons also decreased sharply and the number of senile plaques also increased. The elderly also often have decreased cerebral perfusion. The nervous and endocrine systems are closely linked, and as we age, the function of the endocrine glands also declines and limits the body's ability to respond to normal stress.

Some common diseases of the elderly include:
2.1 Diseases of the circulatory system Hypertension: This is one of the common diseases of the elderly, possibly due to the consequences of childbirth lifestyle, diet or chronic comorbidities. Hypertension in the elderly is a factor that causes stroke, heart failure, myocardial infarction... Heart failure: Heart failure is the result of physical damage or dysfunction of the heart, leading to The heart is not able to receive blood or bring blood to the body. There are many causes of heart failure in the elderly such as cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease... Peripheral vascular disease: Due to the operation of the vascular valves In the extremities, the activity is poor, so it causes stagnation of blood in the periphery, causing stagnation of venous circulation. Peripheral artery disease is often caused by atherosclerosis, which reduces blood flow to the extremities. 2.2 Diseases on the respiratory system Pneumonia : The respiratory organs in the elderly have a significant decline. Poor lung elasticity and reduced resistance are factors that increase the risk of pneumonia in the elderly. Especially, when the weather changes, diseases of the elderly are more likely to occur. Tuberculosis: Due to a weak immune system, the elderly are also at a higher risk of contracting TB. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by asthma-like shortness of breath but less responsive to bronchodilators. The disease often occurs on the basis of long-term smokers, or in recurrent respiratory diseases. 2.3 Diseases of the digestive system Constipation : Difficulty defecation, dry and solid stools this is the most common problem in the elderly. Age-related changes and limited mobility in the elderly are the major contributors to constipation. Drinking a lot of water and increasing your diet and being active are effective ways to prevent constipation in the elderly. Leaky stools: Unintentional leakage of stool, this is a common disease of the elderly. Can be caused by functional disorders of the digestive system, diseases such as hemorrhoids, trauma... Gastric ulcer disease: This disease also makes the elderly very uncomfortable by signs such as epigastric pain, vomiting, nausea, bloating... 2.4 Diseases of the urinary and genitourinary systems Urinary incontinence: A very common condition in the elderly. There are many types of urinary incontinence in the elderly, but the two most common are stress and stimulant incontinence. This condition increases with age and some risk factors increase the degree of urinary incontinence such as obesity, respiratory disease causing cough... Prostate enlargement: A common disease of the elderly and increasing trend with age. 2.5 Diseases on the musculoskeletal system Osteoarthritis: Over time, joint function declines, osteoarthritis is a common condition and increases with age. The most common is the degenerative condition of the knee, cervical and lumbar spine due to heavy load from the body during life. Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is characterized by a decrease in bone mass and a decrease in bone quality, leading to an increased risk of fracture. 2.6 Nervous system diseases Stroke: In the elderly, due to the weakening of the vascular system, the blood supply to the brain decreases, so it is easy to have a brain infarction or because of high blood pressure, there is also an increased risk of cerebral hemorrhage. This is a dangerous disease of the elderly, which can affect the life. Parkinson's disease: This is a common disease in people over 65 years old due to the degeneration of some brain organizations, causing manifestations such as tremors, slow and inflexible movements, stiff and difficult movements. This is a typical disease of the elderly and the cause has not yet been found. Dementia: A disease of the cognitive system that makes the patient unable to remember events that happened in the near or far past.

2.7 Diseases of other organs Cataracts: The lens in the elderly becomes yellow leading to progressive cataracts in the elderly. Hypothyroidism: May occur with a number of non-specific manifestations such as fatigue, weakness, weight loss... Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes is common in the elderly, possibly due to decreased sensitivity. organs with insulin or insulin not working properly increases the risk of diabetes in the elderly. In general, physiological changes in the elderly are closely related to diseases in the elderly. Therefore, regular screening and periodic examination are essential for early detection of diseases in the elderly. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is implementing a lot of general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a very favorable price policy, including:
Packages standard general health checkup Special general health checkup package VIP general health checkup package Diamond general health checkup package The advantage of Vinmec's health checkup packages is that customers will be screened, reachable Health control by a system of modern equipment to help support the best diagnosis today such as PET/CT, MRI, CT 640 machines, the world's leading advanced ultrasound system, standard laboratory system After a general examination, if any diseases are detected, customers can use services from other specialties at the hospital with outstanding quality of treatment.