scholarly journals Anaemia - a common syndrome in old age

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 122-125
Author(s):  
Mariana Georgieva Yordanova
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Elderly Age ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
General Weakness ◽  
Clinical Consequences

Anaemia is a common syndrome in the elderly (age>65 years), combined with changes and diseases characteristic of ageing. There are currently nearly 500 million (7%) adults over the age of 65 in the world. According to statistics, there are about 15 million older people with anaemia in the European Union. This number is likely to increase in the coming years due to the ageing population in Western societies.1 The acute anaemic syndrome is dominated by symptoms of decreased circulatory volume, such as dizziness, syncope and hypotension. While in the chronic course, anaemia can be asymptomatic and be detected accidentally in a laboratory test. Suspicious signs are a reduced ability to carry oxygen, such as general weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath, for which age changes are often blamed. Worsening of concomitant conditions such as angina, heart failure, CKD and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been observed. Older people with anaemia of any degree have a deteriorating quality of life due to significantly higher morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this review is to summarize the most common etiological causes of anaemia in the elderly, clinical consequences, and guidelines for diagnosis.

scholarly journals Why do Family Physicians find it difficult to apply clinical guidelines?

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-68
Author(s):  
Andrea Pizzini
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Guidelines ◽  
Family Physicians ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
New Guidelines ◽  
Italian Context

The aging of the population, in Italy as well as in all the countries of the European Union, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases pose challenges to the development and application of clinical guidelines. Guidelines have been developed to improve the quality of health care. Anyway, Family Physicians sometimes find many obstacles in integrating guidelines into medical practice. In the care of older individuals with several comorbid diseases, application of clinical guidelines is not only difficult, but may also lead to undesirable effects. In this article, the Author take a review, published in JAMA, as a starting point to discuss the role and the importance of guidelines in patients with comorbid disease in the Italian context. The review analyses the hypothetical case of a 79-year-old woman with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension and osteoarthritis, and describes the situation of the aggregated recommendations from the most relevant guidelines. The conclusion is that, to improve the care of older patients with complex comorbidities, developing new measures and new guidelines is extremely necessary.

Oncology and Palliative Care

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Furmedge
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Chronic Illnesses ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Length Of Life

An ageing population, better prevention for ischaemic heart disease, and significant advances in treatment mean that cancer is becoming increasingly common, with patients living longer (sometimes decades) with it. This means living with the effects of cancer itself, as well as with the effects of the increasingly complex treatments used to treat it. It is important not only for doctors to be familiar with the presenting symp­toms and signs of cancer, so it can be investigated and diagnosed, but also with the emergencies associated with it and the common side ef­fects and complications related to the ever growing range of treatment options. The importance of palliative and end- of- life care cannot be underesti­mated, and all doctors will come into contact with patients approaching the end of their lives. Increasing evidence suggests that early involvement of palliative care in patients with many terminal and chronic illnesses im­proves the quality of life and paradoxically can even improve the length of life. Importantly, palliative care is no longer associated just with cancer. It can help in almost any chronic illness, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure to frailty and dementia. All too often, particularly in hospitals, many patients receive active and aggressive treatments right up until their death when it has been evident they are approaching death for many days or weeks. All doctors should have a working understanding of the principles of palliative care, as well as how to recognize terminal illness and how to manage symptoms at the end of life.

scholarly journals Investing in adult nutrition to reduce mobility problems in ageing population

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Ray Wagiu Basrowi ◽  
Levina Chandra Koe ◽  
Tonny Sundjaya
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Elderly Age ◽  
Nutrition Intake ◽  
Dietary Strategies

As people age, most body organs deteriorate. Osteoporosis, arthritis, sarcopenia, muscle aches, low back pain and neuropathy are common mobility issues in the elderly. Body mass index (BMI), physical inactivity, and having comorbidities increase the likelihood to have mobility health problems. One in every ten adults over the age of 45 years in Indonesia develops these mobility problems, and one in every fifteen adults has difficulty in walking/stepping before entering the elderly age. Nutrition has been reported to have important role in controlling weight and physical locomotive organs. Generally, 46% adults in Indonesia have vitamin A deficiency, 70% vitamin C deficiency, 77% vitamin E deficiency, and inadequate calcium intake. Low nutrition intake can result in increasing mobility problems that lead to health issues in the aging population. Dietary strategies are necessary to achieve healthy ageing. Currently, no standardized guideline has been developed for preventing mobility health problems in Indonesia. This calls for urgent need to hinder poor quality of life in elderly population.

scholarly journals Medically Treated Opioid Overdoses Among the U.S. Elderly: Trends and Correlates

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 54-54
Author(s):  
Peter Treitler ◽  
Stephen Crystal ◽  
Richard Hermida ◽  
Jennifer Miles
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Opioid Use Disorder ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Medicare Beneficiaries ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract High rates of opioid prescribing and comorbid medical conditions increase risk of overdose among older adults. As the US population ages and the rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) increase in the elderly population, there is a need to characterize trends and correlates of overdose in order to more effectively target policy and practice. Using a ~40% random sample of 2015-2017 Medicare beneficiaries ages 65 and older with Part D pharmacy coverage, this study examined medically treated opioid overdoses among US older adults. The sample included 13-14 million beneficiaries per year. The rate of medically treated opioid overdoses among elderly Medicare beneficiaries increased by 15% from 6 per 10,000 in 2015 to 6.9 per 10,000 in 2017. Those with overdose were disproportionately female (63%), non-Hispanic white (83%), with diagnoses of pain conditions (96%), with diagnoses of major depression (63%), and with high rates of conditions that decrease respiratory reserve such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 13% had co-occurring diagnosed alcohol use disorder, 36% were diagnosed with opioid dependence or abuse, and 12% were diagnosed with hepatitis C. Older individuals with overdose represent a complex mix of risk factors; identifying those most at risk (as well as those who have very low risk, whose pain management may be compromised by overly-rigid interpretation of opioid use guidelines) is key in order to address multiple risks, balancing risk reduction with appropriate pain management.

scholarly journals Safety and efficacy of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for patients hospitalised with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e043377
Author(s):  
Kai Zhu ◽  
Jagdeep Gill ◽  
Ashley Kirkham ◽  
Joel Chen ◽  
Amy Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Acute Exacerbation ◽  
Pulmonary Rehabilitation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Safety And Efficacy

IntroductionPulmonary rehabilitation (PR) following an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) reduces the risk of hospital admissions, and improves physical function and health-related quality of life. However, the safety and efficacy of in-hospital PR during the most acute phase of an AECOPD is not well established. This paper describes the protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the safety and efficacy of inpatient acute care PR during the hospitalisation phase.Methods and analysisMedical literature databases and registries MEDLINE, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, CENTRAL, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, WHO trials portal and ClinicalTrials.gov will be searched for articles from inception to June 2021 using a prespecified search strategy. We will identify randomised controlled trials that have a comparison of in-hospital PR with usual care. PR programmes had to commence during the hospitalisation and include a minimum of two sessions. Title and abstract followed by full-text screening will be conducted independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis will be performed if there is sufficient homogeneity across selected studies or groups of studies. The Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes and Study characteristics framework will be used to standardise the data collection process. The quality of the cumulative evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations framework.Ethics and disseminationAECOPD results in physical limitations which are amenable to PR. This review will assess the safety and efficacy of in-hospital PR for AECOPD. The results will be presented in a peer-reviewed publication and at research conferences. Ethical review is not required for this study.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document