Illnesses and Disease Management for The Elderly

Illnesses and Disease Management for The Elderly

The elderly group of patients is vulnerable and susceptible to many chronic illnesses. Chronic diseases that are common in older patients include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, osteoarthritis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. Hypertension, the most common disease, has no symptoms and is commonly called the silent killer disease. Hypercholesterolemia, osteoarthritis, and diabetes have a prevalence of 47 %, 31%, and 27 %, respectively (Zhao et al., 2019). Dementia is the least prevalent disease, and it affects about 11 percent of the older adult population.

Hypertensive older patients face various challenges. The disease increases the strain on blood vessels and other organs. This leads to the emergence of other complications such as loss of vision, metabolic syndrome, aneurysms, heart failure, and stroke. Loss of vision results from thickening and rupturing of blood vessels in the eyes. The occurrence of metabolic syndrome is high in hypertensive patients with hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus (Rizzuto et al., 2017). Hypertension causes left ventricular hypertrophy and eventually causes heart failure because the heart’s ability to pump blood to other body parts is decreased. Aneurysms occur when an arterial wall is weakened in hypertensive patients; it creates a bulge that can rupture and lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.

These challenges can be alleviated through different approaches. Non-pharmacological interventions include regular physical exercise, weight control, reducing salt and alcohol intake, smoking cessation, and a Mediterranean diet. Pharmacological interventions are aimed at keeping the blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg (Oliveros et al., 2020). Antihypertensives such as Thiazide diuretics and Calcium Channel Blockers are used. Beta-blockers can worsen cardiovascular disease in those aged above 60 years; the medications are only used when indicated.

References

Oliveros, E., Patel, H., Kyung, S., Fugar, S., Goldberg, A., Madan, N., & Williams, K. A. (2020). Hypertension in older adults: Assessment, management, and challenges. Clinical Cardiology, 43(2), 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.23303

Rizzuto, D., Melis, R. J. F., Angleman, S., Qiu, C., & Marengoni, A. (2017). Effect of Chronic Diseases and Multimorbidity on Survival and Functioning in Elderly Adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 65(5), 1056–1060. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.14868

Zhao, C., Wong, L., Zhu, Q., & Yang, H. (2019). Prevalence and correlates of chronic diseases in an elderly population: A community-based survey in Haikou. PLoS ONE, 13(6), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0199006

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Illnesses and Disease Management 4

Illnesses and Disease Management 4

Illnesses and Disease Management 4

There are several vulnerable populations who are susceptible to chronic illnesses (older; homeless; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations) and who face challenges when it comes to care.

1. Choose one vulnerable population and identify chronic illnesses to which they might be susceptible.
2. Identify challenges they face related to one of the identified chronic illnesses.
3. Discuss what can be done to help alleviate these challenges.