According to the Center for Disease Control, 88 percent of Americans over the age of 65 will suffer from at least one disease. Common diseases of the elderly are heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and cancer. Heart disease is the leading cause of...
Our skin provides us with the ability to touch and feel. It also controls our temperature, helps us synthesize Vitamin D, insulates our bodies and protect us from infection. Keeping your skin healthy and intact—it is literally a...
Many elderly individuals suffer from chronic pain. Either as a disease process by itself or in conjunction with other debilitating illnesses--heart disease, arthritis and osteoporosis--the pain itself can be unbearable. Unfortunately, many...
Researchers say that common elderly diseases may include one or more of the following: Arthritis, Cancer, Cardiovascular (Blood Pressure and Heart Disease), Cerebrovascular (Strokes), Dementia, Depression, Diabetes, Falls and Injuries,...
If you have been diagnosed with heart disease, you may feel intimidated to exercise, especially if you are older and aren't very active. But a sedentary lifestyle probably helped lead to a heart condition in the first place. Modified and moderate...
Sodium and potassium are electrolytes -- the electricity-conducting minerals or salts in your body that help maintain fluid balance and regulate muscle and nerve function. Normal potassium levels run from 3.6 to 4.8 mEq/L and normal sodium levels...
Calculating your BMI, or body mass index, can help you begin to assess your weight and health risks. To calculate your BMI, simply divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiply the answer by 703. Though BMI values...
The number of patients who win the battle against cancer and live for several years after radiation treatments has increased, according to Cancer.net. Unfortunately, some of those people develop late side effects as a result of the radiation...
Pork, like other meats, can cause food poisoning in certain circumstances. For example, pork that is undercooked, has come into direct contact with infectious organisms, or was contaminated when it was slaughtered can cause foodborne illness. Food...
Deltasone is a prescription medication available as an oral tablet. This hormone medication is also sold as the generic drug prednisone, which can be found in oral tablet, solution and syrup formulations. According to Drugs.com, Deltasone is...
Sudden weight loss in elderly people can lead to irreversible health problems or be a sign that serious health problems are occurring. Testing and nutritional monitoring can show physicians or caregivers why mysterious weight loss occurs within...
Myositis is the medical term for inflammation of the muscles. This inflammation may be the result of disease conditions that solely affect the muscles. It may also be a symptom of one or more diseases affecting the muscles and other areas of the...
Iron and vitamin D deficiencies can both have serious consequences. Iron deficiency can result, for example, in anemia, inhibited growth or heart trouble. A vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, osteoporosis and osteomalacia, a condition marked...
Diseases and disorders of the skeletal system affect all ages, and can include congenital deformities at birth to fragile and brittle bone diseases in the elderly. Bones rebuild and reform every 10 years, when new bone tissue replaces the old....
If you've been to the gym or vitamin supplement store, you've heard about or seen creatine supplements. Many involved in body building swear by the benefits of creatine. For sport-specific training, creatine may be the answer you are looking for....
The side effects of Levaquin may hinder medical care of a bacterial infection. Levaquin, a trade name, belongs to a chemical group of antibacterial drugs called fluoroquinolones. The generic name for Levaquin is levofloxacin. Levofloxacin treats...
Vitamin B-12 and methionine, an essential amino acid, work together to perform a variety of functions in the body. Getting these important nutrients in effective amounts can be accomplished though a well-rounded diet, though some people may have...
Maintaining proper vitamin intake is critical for good health. Improper vitamin B-12 levels, for example, can have a variety of negative impacts on your health, including potentially harming your equilibrium via your inner ear. Toxicity from...
If you are past the age of 65, it is likely that you are at risk of running into one or more of neurological disorders. Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, strokes, and Parkinson's disease are some of them. However, the incidence varies...
Vitamin B-12 is a large, complex molecule needed by your body for healthy metabolism, cognition, short-term memory, nerve conductance and red blood cell production. B-12 deficiency causes anemia characterized by malformed and dysfunctional red...
Aging brings a vast number of physical changes that affect every system in the body. The impact of diet on aging and age-related diseases is a popular topic of research. Spurred by increases in the elderly population, science has discovered many...
The many factors that cause a person to live to 100 years of age range from genetics to lifestyle choices to diet to attitude. Several long-term studies have reviewed the actions, activities and choices of persons who have achieved centenarian...
As people age, they often do not absorb vitamins from their food as well as they did in their younger years. Also, the elderly may have less-than-nutritious diets for reasons ranging from the need for medications that suppress their appetite, to...
There are many different causes for poor nutrition in the elderly. Some drugs cause a lack of appetite. An elderly person with dementia may not remember if she has eaten. An elderly person with arthritis may be unable to prepare her own meals or...
Cardiovascular disease is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a term that refers to conditions involving narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to chest pain or a heart attack. The risk of developing coronary heart disease, or CHD, increases...
A diverticulum is a small, saclike protrusion that extends through your bowel wall. Diverticulosis is a term that describes the presence of one or more diverticula in your colon. These protrusions usually form at points where arteries perforate...
Alternating between eating as many healthful foods as you'd like one day and eating just 25 percent of your energy needs on the second can help you lose weight. In addition to losing body fat, you can lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels...
Growing older can affect blood sugar levels, putting seniors at risk for health complications not always common in younger people. Sometimes the symptoms of diabetes are mistaken for signs associated with the normal aging process. Other illnesses...
There is a prescription that can increase independence, support health, and stave off diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the elderly.This prescription, however, doesn't come in a bottle -- it's just good-old fashioned...
Senile Dementia is a steady decline of mental faculties in a person, primarily elderly, for various reasons including Alzheimer's disease and strokes. Watch this video for more information on this condition.
If your chest starts to feel sore and you develop a cough followed by the chills or a slight fever, you just might have bronchitis. Bronchitis is a condition that occurs when the inner walls that line the main air passageways of your lungs become...
Plasma Cell Neoplasm (multiple myeloma) is when plasma cells found in the bone marrow become cancerous. This is an uncommon cancer that you can learn more about in this video about the condition and its various preventative techniques and treatments.
