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Geriatrics is a specialized branch of medicine, which deals with the ailments and disorders of people aged 50 years and above. After the age of 50, the human body undergoes a lot of changes in the physical, mental and hormonal aspects. There is bound to be loss of certain electrolytes, minerals, vitamins and calcium from the body and bone reserves. These lead to various disorders and malfunctioning of various organs.
For women
Most commonly encountered problem in elderly women includes osteo-arthritis, osteoporosis, obesity, low back pain, sciatica (numbness), spondylosis, depression, urinary incontinence and chronic urinary tract infections. These are common features seen in women in the pre-menopausal, menopausal and post menopausal stages.
For men
In men, the common disorders include osteo-arthritis, prostrate enlargement, obesity, urinary disorders, sexual dysfunction and depression. Other commonly found conditions are blood pressure, diabetes, nervous weakness, loss of appetite, anaemia, loss of weight, recurrent infections due to loss of immunity, cancers, chronic gastritis, memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Other age-related problems
Advanced osteo-arthritis leads to degeneration and painful movements of the shoulder joints, knee joints and hip joints causing difficulties in day-to-day activities and walking in elderly people.
Dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, sensitive skin reacting to UV radiation of the sunlight, cracking of skin in the feet, and allergic conditions are commonly seen in this age group. Dental diseases like root caries, poor oral health hygiene, lose teeth, missing teeth which affect daily functioning are common among both men and women.
It is generally observed that this age group related diseases are not just physical, but are very much related to the mental condition of the person. Medicines alone will not give the best of results. Counselling is extremely important for them as they are invariably under stress owing to reasons like loneliness and security.
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