Old age diseases

We are living in an aging society. The United Nations estimates that the world will have two billion people over the age of 60 by 2050. With the aging population, there are old age diseases that we have to face and treat with more effective therapies. Hypertension, stroke, Alzheimer s disease, heart disease, type II diabetes, Parkinson s disease, and osteoporosis are some examples (Exhibit 11.8). 

Anand P, Sundaram C, Jhurani S, Kunnumakkara AB, Aggarwal BB. 2008. Curcumin and cancer An old-age disease with an age-old solution. Cancer Lett 267 133-164. 

Akinyele, B. and Odiyi, A. 2007. Comparative study of the vegetative morphology and the existing taxonomie status of Aloe vera L. Journal of Plant Sciences, 2 (5), pp. 558—563. Anand, P., Sundaram, C., Jhurani, S., Kunnumakkara, A. and Aggarwal, B. 2008. Ciu ciunin and caneer An old-age disease with an age-old solution. Cancer Letters, 267(1), pp.133-164. 

In recent years increasing attention has been paid to the possibility of delaying or even reversing the memory loss that accompanies old age or the more tragic loss of human capabilities associated with premature senility - Alzheimer s disease. Progress is hampered by the difficulty of identifying suitable animal tests, and there is presently no reliable therapy. 

Older adults are at increased risk for fluid overload because of the increased incidence of cardiac disease and decreased renal function that may accompany old age. Careful monitoring for signs and symptomsof fluid overload (see Table 58-2) isextremely important when administering fluids to older adults... 

Another special dietary area is the production of gluten-free bread for those who suffer from coeliac disease. As this is a problem of old age and the population is ageing, demand for this sort of product is increasing. 

The so-called normal range of blood and serum vitamin levels is always derived from observations on healthy young subjects. How about a comparison with healthy old subjects, whose percentage in the population is steadily increasing Much may be learned about the cause of the decrease of physiological function and of the increased susceptibility to organic disease in old age, if the role of vitamins as parameter of these alterations were investigated with a view to preventive theory. 

It is important to bear in mind that constipation is common in old age and often has negative effects on both health and quality of life. Constipation is often caused by chronic diseases and by many different drugs. It is best treated by life style changes and drugs that can cause constipation should be avoided or discontinued if possible. 

Both females and males experience age-related problems from the urinary tracts, for example prostate hypertrophy in men and urinary incontinence in women. Kidney problems become more frequent in old age not only because of the normal functional decline but as a result of diseases associated with aging, and their treatment. 

The prevalence rates of schizophrenia are lower in old age than in younger age groups (Copeland et al. 1998). The incidence of Alzheimer s disease with psychosis is much more frequent than the incidence of schizophrenia in old age (Jeste and Finkel 2000). For the frail Alzheimer s patients, medications may induce or aggravate the symptoms. 

Alzheimer s disease with psychosis is much more frequent than the incidence of schizophrenia in old age... 

It is obviously important not to terminate the study too early for fatal conditions, which are normally strongly age-related. Less obviously, going on for too long in a study can be a mistake, partly because the last few weeks or months may produce relatively few extra data at a disporportionate cost, and partly because diseases of extreme old age may obscure the detection of tumors and other conditions of more interest. For nonfatal conditions, the ideal is to sacrifice the animals when the average prevalence is around 50%. 

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type of rheumatological disorder, with a prevalence of about 1 % worldwide. The onset of the disease may be any time between puberty and old age, with peak times of onset be-... 

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