The disease or the approach of old age? Why is it important not to be mistaken

Pathology or not

you need to monitor

   Age-related changes in the body which often love to point the doctors in the diagnosis can be symptoms of the disease. And it is not always easy to understand why the patient deteriorated health. First of all, you need to monitor the blood sugar level and kidney condition. Pathology or not? Doctors who treat older patients often decide to be attributed to the deterioration of health conditions or it's just the normal aging process. As not to confuse the symptoms of serious illness with the natural weakening of the aging body and whether to adjust the limit of normal laboratory values for the elderly? 

First, age affects the functionality of kidneys. The number of nephrons in people over 40 is constantly decreasing. This fact is taken into account when assessing the excretory capacity of the kidneys and therefore the reference values of Samples rebela vary depending on age. 

Secondly, the level of glucose in the blood may rise with age. The same happens with cholesterol. That doesn't always mean an increased risk of diabetes. The risk increases in those who are getting older, no longer monitor the weight — consume high-calorie foods and a sedentary lifestyle. 

Help of medical

Thus, natural changes in the aging body are converted into the disease, connecting with the external factors what people in power to influence. First of all, it is the nutrition and physical activity. 

On the other hand, for normal signs of aging sometimes take the symptoms of diseases such as hypothyroidism: dry skin, constipation, chills, puffiness, hair loss, fatigue. This complex of symptoms must be present in the life of an old man. Not to miss the development of hypothyroidism, older people should regularly check the thyroid hormone. About the risks with examples of impairments:

Aging is not going anywhere. But the disease should be treated. Not to confuse a natural process with the help of medical pathology data analyses. However, the subtlety of laboratory diagnostics in that the norms of some important indicators are also dependent on age. Here are three examples.

Kidney 

  When diagnosis of kidney disease are the blood and urine tests. Kidney problems very dangerous to postpone treatment of this organ is impossible. But if there is only change in laboratory parameters, without any symptoms, concerns may not be. The kidneys work always reflected age-related changes. The status of all vessels in the body deteriorates with age. Are no exception, and renal vessels. For vasoactive (i.e., affecting the blood vessels) incentives circulatory system in the elderly react differently than in his youth — constricts blood vessels stronger and are expanding worse. In the arterioles of the glomeruli is increased resistance to blood flow. As a result, over the years, the filtering fluids in the kidneys and renal blood flow are slowed down. In addition, aging affects the structure of the kidney: decreased number of nephrons, a growing number of glomeruli with sclerotic changes, etc. Kidney age, laboratory parameters are changed — but this does not affect the health of the elderly person.

Therefore, when assessing the excretory ability of the kidneys to always take into account age. For example, the reference values of Samples reberg (laboratory study that evaluates the level of GFR) vary depending on age. 

Sugar 

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common diseases of modern civilization. Every year thousands of people put this diagnosis. But the approach to diagnosis does not always correspond to the severity of the diagnosis. There is an opinion that a certain percentage of older people diagnosed with diabetes in reality have become victims prediagnostic. It is known that with age, the level of glucose in the blood increases. This indicator is used as the main criterion for the diagnosis and control of diabetes, especially in the early stages, when symptoms of the disease is still hidden. How is connected the indicator increase with aging is the final answer to this question science has not yet found. One of the most reliable indicators of glucose in the human body, glycated hemoglobin, begins to rise already from the age of 20. At this age the rise in blood sugar brighter pronounced in women. Maybe the cause of aging in the pancreas responsible for insulin production, or due to changes in the level of other hormones — anyway, in the age increase sugar there is nothing wrong, while people control weight and generally lead a healthy lifestyle. The risk of diabetes is increased in those who, not only getting older, but getting older, ceases to stay healthy — consume high-calorie foods and a sedentary lifestyle. In this case the natural changes in aging body go into disease.

Prostate 

Another lab indicator, which changes with age, is very important for men's health. It so happened that this indicator in modern medicine involves a lot of discussions. It also changes with age, and this fact is taken into account when determining the reference values. The problem is that if "bad" is the result of this test is to be interpreted as a sign of pathology, it is unclear what to do next. We are talking about the test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a study which, starting from the 1990s, is widely used to detect early signs of cancer of the prostate. It is believed that due to test the DOG has managed to significantly improve the diagnosis of cancer in men. But the older a man is, the higher the likelihood of developing benign changes of the prostate and prostatitis, also increase PSA levels. According to the test results people who in fact cancer is not threatened, can prescribe unnecessary treatment. This property of the test at the DOG — non-specific — many consider it a major drawback. The man who almost 40 years ago opened the DOG, an American pathologist Richard Ablin, even wrote a book with the loud name "the Great deception prostaty.

How big medicine has made the test a DOG in a disaster for public health. Ablin, and he is not alone, I'm sure the test DOG is not to be used to diagnose cancer. Threshold levels for each age group, in his opinion, are specified completely arbitrarily. Besides prostate cancer can develop very slowly, so slowly that an elderly person more likely to die from other causes than from prostate cancer. Therefore to conduct this test in men older than 70 generally makes no sense. Even if the test find any suspicious changes, further diagnostics (biopsy) and treatment can be more harmful than refraining from treatment.All living things in nature fades and eventually leaves the world of the living. Programmed aging no one can undo. But diseases usually develop due to external factors over which the individual can influence. The best change in our life and the most healthy is a balanced diet and physical activity. Over the years, the importance of adhering to these simple recommendations increases. The body requires more of your attention — age-related changes in the analysis.