Medical News Summary: Symptoms of old age may be similar to many other treatable conditions
About: Symptoms of old age may be similar to many other treatable conditions
Date: 25 January 2005
Source: Independent Record
Author: Jane Brody
Medical News Summary (summary of medical news story as reported by Independent Record): Over time, it has become obvious that the symptoms of aging present themselves differently in different people and at different ages. Also, different parts of the body tend to age at different rates. For example, some people will develop lung function problems as they age whereas others will suffer from memory loss. This makes it difficult to work out whether the symptoms a person is feeling are related to aging or to some other condition. Assuming that someone is simply being affected by age may prevent the diagnosis and hence treatment of relatively simple problems. In one case, a man in his late 80’s was hospitalized for what was believed to be a heart problem. After his hospital treatment, the man suffered from increasing confusion. A geriatric specialist then began to suspect that his symptoms were not age related but due to medication. The man then ceased his heart medication and his symptoms cleared up totally. Some symptoms to be wary of are reduced appetite, reduced mental functioning, incontinence, falls, dizziness, pain and reduced functional ability (eg getting dressed or climbing stairs). Drug toxicity is a common cause of correctable symptoms that may be attributed to aging. As a person ages, their liver and kidney function becomes poorer as does their body’s ability to process chemicals. This means that drug levels can quickly concentrate inside the body. Another condition to be aware of is infection. Elderly people tend to have lower body temperatures and infections that would cause fever and chills in younger people may present in older people as confusion or reduced functional abilities with no temperature change. Elderly pneumonia sufferers may present with symptoms such as rapid breathing, reduced appetite and reduced functioning. Elderly urinary tract infection sufferers may present with incontinence, confusion and may suffer from falls. If these symptoms are assumed to be related to aging, the infections may continue to ravage the body with sometime fatal consequences. Some symptom misdiagnoses to be aware of in the elderly include: reduced mental functioning over days of weeks may be caused by medication or side effects of anaesthesia; falls may be caused by heart problems, osteoporosis, vertigo, leaking brain blood vessel, hearing loss, vision loss, incontinence and toxic drug buildup (particularly psychoactive drugs, sedatives, blood pressure lowering drugs and drugs that reduce blood sugar level; dizziness may be caused by anemia, abnormal heart rhythm, drug toxicity, depression, infection, ear disease, eye problems, stroke, heart attack, brain tumor, drug toxicity or impacted wax in the ears; reduced appetite may be caused by progressive heart failure, the initial stage of pneumonia, depression and loneliness; delirium may be caused by drug toxicity, dehydration, reduced blood oxygen levels, anemia, nutritional deficiencies, infections, thyroid disease, vision loss and hearing loss; incontinence may be caused by urinary tract infections, limited mobility, metabolic abnormalities and medications such as diuretics and sedatives; reduced functional ability may be caused by anemia, thyroid disease, infection, cardiac insufficiency or reduced lung capacity.
URL: http://www.helenair.com/articles/2005/01/25/health/c01012505_02.txt
Related Disease Topics: Old age, Heart disorder, Drug toxicity, Infection, Pneumonia, Urinary tract infection, Osteoporosis, Hearing loss (see Hearing impairment), Vision loss, Toxic drug buildup, High blood pressure, Hypertension, Diabetes, Anemia, Abnormal heart rhythm, Ear disease, Eye problems, Stroke, Heart attack, Brain tumor, Impacted wax in ears, Progressive heart failure, Depression, Loneliness (see Emotional symptoms), Delirium, Dehydration, Reduced blood oxygen levels, Nutritional deficiencies, Thyroid disease, Vision loss hearing loss, Metabolic abnormalities
Related Symptom Topics: aging, lung disorder, memory loss, confusion, reduced appetite, reduced mental functioning, incontinence, falls, dizziness, pain, reduced functional ability, liver function disorder, kidney function disorder, fever, chills, reduced body temperature, vertigo, leaking brain blood vessel, incontinence, reduced appetite
Related Medical News Channels: This medical news summary article refers to the following medical channel categories:
- cause of aging
- Cause of lung disorder
- cause of memory loss
- cause of confusion
- cause of reduced appetite
- Cause of reduced mental functioning
- cause of incontinence
- cause of falls
- cause of dizziness
- cause of pain
- Cause of reduced functional ability
- Cause of liver function disorder
- Cause of kidney function disorder
- cause of fever
- cause of chills
- Cause of reduced body temperature
- cause of vertigo
- Cause of leaking brain blood vessel
- cause of incontinence
- cause of reduced appetite
- Cause of old age
- Cause of heart disorder
- Cause of drug toxicity
- cause of infection
- cause of pneumonia
- cause of urinary tract infection
- cause of osteoporosis
- cause of hearing loss
- cause of vision loss
- Cause of toxic drug buildup
- cause of high blood pressure
- cause of hypertension
- cause of diabetes
- cause of anemia
- Cause of abnormal heart rhythm
- Cause of ear disease
- cause of eye problems
- cause of stroke
- cause of heart attack
- cause of brain tumor
- Cause of impacted wax in ears
- Cause of progressive heart failure
- cause of depression
- cause of loneliness
- cause of delirium
- cause of dehydration
- Cause of reduced blood oxygen levels
- cause of nutritional deficiencies
- cause of thyroid disease
- Cause of vision loss hearing loss
- Cause of metabolic abnormalities
- Diagnosis and old age
- Diagnosis and heart disorder
- Diagnosis and drug toxicity
- Diagnosis and infection
- Diagnosis and pneumonia
- Diagnosis and urinary tract infection
- Diagnosis and osteoporosis
- Diagnosis and hearing loss
- Diagnosis and vision loss
- Diagnosis and toxic drug buildup
- Diagnosis and high blood pressure
- Diagnosis and hypertension
- Diagnosis and diabetes
- Diagnosis and anemia
- Diagnosis and abnormal heart rhythm
- Diagnosis and ear disease
- Diagnosis and eye problems
- Diagnosis and stroke
- Diagnosis and heart attack
- Diagnosis and brain tumor
- Diagnosis and impacted wax in ears
- Diagnosis and progressive heart failure
- Diagnosis and depression
- Diagnosis and loneliness
- Diagnosis and delirium
- Diagnosis and dehydration
- Diagnosis and reduced blood oxygen levels
- Diagnosis and nutritional deficiencies
- Diagnosis and thyroid disease
- Diagnosis and vision loss hearing loss
- Diagnosis and metabolic abnormalities
- Misdiagnosis and old age
- Misdiagnosis and heart disorder
- Misdiagnosis and drug toxicity
- Misdiagnosis and infection
- misdiagnosis and pneumonia
- Misdiagnosis and urinary tract infection
- misdiagnosis and osteoporosis
- Misdiagnosis and hearing loss
- Misdiagnosis and vision loss
- Misdiagnosis and toxic drug buildup
- misdiagnosis and high blood pressure
- misdiagnosis and hypertension
- misdiagnosis and diabetes
- misdiagnosis and anemia
- Misdiagnosis and abnormal heart rhythm
- Misdiagnosis and ear disease
- Misdiagnosis and eye problems
- misdiagnosis and stroke
- misdiagnosis and heart attack
- misdiagnosis and brain tumor
- Misdiagnosis and impacted wax in ears
- Misdiagnosis and progressive heart failure
- misdiagnosis and depression
- Misdiagnosis and loneliness
- misdiagnosis and delirium
- misdiagnosis and dehydration
- Misdiagnosis and reduced blood oxygen levels
- misdiagnosis and nutritional deficiencies
- misdiagnosis and thyroid disease
- Misdiagnosis and vision loss hearing loss
- Misdiagnosis and metabolic abnormalities
- Undiagnosed and old age
- Undiagnosed and heart disorder
- Undiagnosed and drug toxicity
- Undiagnosed and infection
- Undiagnosed and pneumonia
- Undiagnosed and urinary tract infection
- Undiagnosed and osteoporosis
- Undiagnosed and hearing loss
- Undiagnosed and vision loss
- Undiagnosed and toxic drug buildup
- Undiagnosed and high blood pressure
- Undiagnosed and hypertension
- Undiagnosed and diabetes
- Undiagnosed and anemia
- Undiagnosed and abnormal heart rhythm
- Undiagnosed and ear disease
- Undiagnosed and eye problems
- Undiagnosed and stroke
- Undiagnosed and heart attack
- Undiagnosed and brain tumor
- Undiagnosed and impacted wax in ears
- Undiagnosed and progressive heart failure
- Undiagnosed and depression
- Undiagnosed and loneliness
- Undiagnosed and delirium
- Undiagnosed and dehydration
- Undiagnosed and reduced blood oxygen levels
- Undiagnosed and nutritional deficiencies
- Undiagnosed and thyroid disease
- Undiagnosed and vision loss hearing loss
- Undiagnosed and metabolic abnormalities
- Medication
- Undiagnosed
- Diagnosis
- Medication and old age
- Medication and heart disorder
- Medication and drug toxicity
- medication and infection
- medication and pneumonia
- medication and urinary tract infection
- Medication and toxic drug buildup
- Medication and high medication and blood pressure
- medication and hypertension
- medication and diabetes
- medication and anemia
- medication and thyroid disease
- Death from infection
- death from pneumonia
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