Large geriatric syndromes are a set of he alth problems that are primarily encountered in the elderly group. These disorders are often underestimated (for example, the tendency to falls or urination control disorders are simply attributed to advanced age) and therefore they are not properly treated. The truth is, however, that great geriatric problems simply require appropriate therapeutic interventions: thanks to them, it is possible to even significantly improve the quality of life of a senior.

Contents:

  1. Large Geriatric syndromes: falls and imbalances
  2. Large Geriatric Syndromes: Urinary and Faecal Incontinence
  3. Large Geriatric Syndromes: Dementia Disorders
  4. Grand Geriatric Teams: Weakness Syndrome
  5. Large geriatric syndromes: geriatric iatrogenic syndrome
  6. Large Geriatric Teams: Other Common He alth Problems Of Seniors
  7. Large geriatric syndromes: why are they distinguished and how to prevent them?

Large geriatric syndromes( great geriatric syndromes ) are the most common he alth problems in the elderly, grouped together to inform both doctors and families of the elderly about which disorders are most likely to occur in seniors and which specific problems should definitely be treated.

Geriatrics, a branch of medicine focusing on the he alth problems of old age, is actually just beginning to develop. The main reason here is that the number of elderly people in the population is constantly increasing.

Unfortunately, the truth is that the he alth problems of the oldest patients are often extremely underestimated.

Weakness, a tendency to falls or memory disorders are sometimes considered "side effects" of advanced age, the occurrence of which cannot be reversed in any way. Yes, it is impossible to restore the body to the condition of its youth - at least in its entirety - but it is possible to function well in the autumn of life. To achieve this, it is simply necessary to properly react to the deviations from their he alth that appear in seniors.

Large Geriatric syndromes: falls and imbalances

One of the more serious problems experienced by seniors is falls. The fact that they are rightly considered one of the great geriatric syndromes is clearly demonstrated by the statistics on how often falls occur in the elderly group. It is estimated that over a year, 30% of people over 65 experience an inadvertent collapse, and up to half of all patients who are 80 or older.

The causes of falls in older people can be really different, they are generally divided into two types of internal and external causes. The first of these include various factors related to the patient himself.

Examples include :

  • various diseases (e.g. hypotension, epilepsy, hypothyroidism or osteoarthritis)
  • use of various medications by the patient (e.g. antihypertensive, antidepressant, diuretic and hypnotic drugs)
  • disorders related to the functioning of the sensory organs (e.g. deterioration of eyesight or hearing)

The external causes of falls include such aspects as, for example, the lack of a handrail by the stairs, insufficient lighting of the space on which an elderly person moves, or uneven roads (e.g. pavements).

Theoretically, it would seem that falling is not a serious problem - however, it may be so in young people, but not necessarily in seniors.

In the elderly there is an increased risk of bone fractures, for example, which may force the patient to stay in one position for a longer period of time.

This, in turn, increases the risk of further he alth problems, such as deep vein thrombosis, pressure ulcers or joint contractures.

Of course, falls in seniors cannot be prevented, but it is worth adjusting the home interior in an appropriate way so that the risk that the lack of a handrail by the stairs or slippery tiles causes the senior to fall down.

Large Geriatric Syndromes: Urinary and Faecal Incontinence

Both urinary incontinence and fecal incontinence are found in different age groups, but their prevalence in older people is greatest.

Urinary incontinence has a different character - it can be temporary and permanent. The first of the above-mentioned problems may be related to, inter alia, with an infection of the urinary system, the use of some medications, but also the result of excessive urine production (caused, for example, by suffering from uncontrolled diabetes).

FixedUrinary incontinence in seniors may, in turn, result from damage to structures involved in voiding control (e.g. nerve fibers, which may be caused by a fall-related spinal cord injury).

Stool incontinence is associated with dementia disorders, improper diet, but also with the abuse of laxatives or prolonged immobilization.

Both great geriatric problems usually lead to serious difficulties in a senior's life: they result in irritation in the intimate area, require the use of additional hygiene measures (which are often quite expensive), but also lead to embarrassment or embarrassment in the elderly. shame.

The last of the listed ones are usually the most severe and often result in the senior isolating himself from other people, which may favor, among others, depressive disorders - all the aforementioned problems, related to urinary and fecal incontinence, certainly prove that these types of irregularities definitely require treatment.

Large Geriatric Syndromes: Dementia Disorders

It is not uncommon that a senior's memory does not function fully properly is considered a typical manifestation of old age. It is necessary, however, to emphasize one thing here: it is not so that a person who has many springs behind him has "the right to forget". Yes, her memory may not be as good as in her early adolescence, although the sudden, ever greater difficulties with remembering are not physiology, but pathology - they may result from another great geriatric syndrome, which is dementia.

Typically dementia is associated with one disease, Alzheimer's disease. However, this is definitely not the only possible cause of dementia. Others include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia.

When mentioning dementia, it is worth remembering that memory disorders do not necessarily have to be their dominant symptom. It happens that completely different ailments come to the fore, such as, for example, significant changes in the patient's behavior (e.g. a senior, who has been an oasis of peace so far, suddenly becomes irritable or even aggressive) or difficulties in performing basic, ordinary activities ( such as tying shoes or eating a meal with cutlery).

Grand Geriatric Teams: Weakness Syndrome

Certain geriatric syndromes, such as falls and dementia, are rather commonly discussed problems. Other types of irregularities are mentioned in turndefinitely less often - one of them is the weakness syndrome.

It is said about the elderly when there is clearly noticeable weakening of muscle strength, slowing down of walking, the feeling of exhaustion, decreased physical activity and unintentional weight loss.

Taking into account the symptoms of the weakness syndrome, it might seem that it is not a serious disorder, but in practice it is different - because this problem increases the risk of various disease entities in a senior, requiring even longer hospitalizations.

Large geriatric syndromes: geriatric iatrogenic syndrome

A rather interesting great geriatric syndrome is the geriatric iatrogenic syndrome. It develops as a result of … inadequate treatment of an elderly patient.

  • Jatrogenia - when the doctor makes an iatrogenic mistake

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome may be the result of an interaction between the medications taken by the patient (and, as we know, seniors often take quite a lot), the use of too high doses of medications for the patient's needs or the occurrence of side effects of pharmaceuticals used even in small doses .

This kind of large geriatric syndrome is not mentioned often, and it is a pity - it sometimes results in the appearance of new disease symptoms in the senior, which sometimes recommends the use of more pharmaceuticals.

However, in the case of a geriatric iatrogenic syndrome, treatment with new pharmaceuticals should not be started, but actually the pharmacotherapy that was implemented earlier in an elderly patient should be modified.

Large Geriatric Teams: Other Common He alth Problems Of Seniors

Classically, the above-described problems are included in the group of large geriatric teams, but in practice this group is sometimes extended to include other types of irregularities. In addition to the already mentioned, the most common he alth problems of the elderly are also:

  • mental disorders (mainly in the form of depressive disorders)
  • immobilization (which may be the result of a fall, as well as some other disease often found in seniors - as an example you can give a stroke),
  • tendency to develop bedsores
  • malnutrition and dehydration (to which may be predisposed by dysfunctions of the brain centers which control the feeling of hunger and thirst, often occurring in seniors),
  • thermoregulation disorders (in the form of both hyper- and hypothermia),
  • deterioration of the functions of the sensory organs (speechhere, first of all, about hearing disorders and eye diseases, such as farsightedness, cataracts and glaucoma).

Large geriatric syndromes: why are they distinguished and how to prevent them?

The legitimacy of listing large geriatric syndromes can be explained quite quickly - knowing the problems that are most common in the elderly, it is possible to pay attention to what exactly should be prevented in them and what difficulties definitely require treatment in them.

The most important are, first of all, attempts to reduce the frequency of various he alth problems in seniors. An example is falls, where one of the risk factors for their occurrence is the side effects of medications. It happens that a patient is prescribed a new blood pressure-lowering drug, which ultimately leads to a too large reduction in the value of this parameter. In this case, treatment modification is required to minimize the risk of an accidental fall and the consequences of the event.

Another example - mental disorders in old age. It is important to catch their potential symptoms at the earliest possible stage - starting the appropriate therapy early after the occurrence of, for example, depression in a senior, creates a chance that the necessary therapy will give the expected results faster than if it was started only after a long period of untreated depression.

Certain large geriatric syndromes, such as dementia, cannot be completely prevented. The risk of others, e.g. geriatric iatrogenic syndrome or dehydration, can be minimized by both doctors and close seniors.

In fact, it is simply worth knowing about large geriatric syndromes - early initiation of interventions aimed at their prevention or treatment can really significantly improve the everyday functioning of an elderly person.

Category:

Geriatrics