Older people development

Attention to iron metabolism is particularly important in women for the reason mentioned above. Additionally, in pregnancy, allowances must be made for the growing fetus. Older people with poor dietary habits ( tea and toasters ) may develop iron deficiency. Iron deficiency anemia due to inadequate intake, inadequate utilization, or excessive loss of iron is one of the most prevalent conditions seen in medical practice. 

Everyone is sensitive to extreme weather conditions. But with age, the body may become less able to respond to long exposure to very hot or very cold temperatures. Some older people might develop hypothermia when exposed to cold weather. Hypothermia is a drop in internal body temperature, which can be fatal if not detected and treated. 

The decision to use these agents should be made with considerable caution, and only after possible underlying causes of the patient s symptoms have been explored and treated appropriately. Although surveys indicate that BZDs are frequently prescribed for elderly patients, the NIH Consensus Development Conference stated that the efficacy and safety of sedatives and hypnotics have not been established for older people, nor has the extent to which they contribute to or alleviate sleep problems (302, 305, 306). Saizman (307) has pointed out that relatively few research studies, most of which are seriously flawed, have examined the therapeutic effect of these agents in elderly patients. Thus, recommendations for the use of BZDs in elderly patients are derived almost exclusively from studies of young adult patients, studies of pharmacokinetics and toxicity in elderly patients, and clinical and anecdotal experience. 

A high sucrose diet promotes decay.11 While most people have some trouble with tooth decay, 1 or 2 per thousand remain totally free of caries and seem to be immune. Many factors must affect resistance to caries. For example, individuals vary in the kinds and numbers of bacteria present on teeth and in the structure of tooth enamel.0 Addition of fluoride ion to water supplies at a level of lppm (0.05 mM) is generally believed to reduce the incidence of tooth decay. However, caries has been declining in many developed countries at rates that are the same for water with or without fluoride.p q If teeth escape caries periodental disease, caused by bacteria, is often a major problem for older people.1... 

The disease is not contagious, and while it generally affects older people, there are also cases of juvenile Parkinsonism. Cases involving younger people who had used street drugs of unknown composition and developed full-blown symptoms of the disease as a result have been reported. Some of these cases were favorably treated with implantations of dopamine-produeing tissues from fetal brain cells. 

Pneumococcal vaccines produced by different manufacturers are currently available, for example Pneumovax 23 produced by Merck Sharp Dohme and Pnu-Imune 23 produced by Lederle Laboratories. Each vaccine dose (0.5 ml) contains 25 pg of each polysaccharide antigen. Immunization is recommended for people who are at increased risk of developing pneumococcal disease because of underlying chronic health conditions and for older people. About 50% of vaccinees develop mild adverse effects, such as erythema and pain at the injection site. Fever, myalgia, and severe local reactions have been reported in under 1% of vaccinees. Severe systemic reactions, such as anaphylaxis have been rarely reported. 

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) accounts for about one fourth to one third the cases of clinical acute hepatitis in the United States and 20% to 25% worldwide. Although most commonly an infection of children and adolescents, the disease tends to be more virulent in middle-aged and older people. Most sporadic cases occur from person-to-person contact, such as occurs in children in day care centers. Epidemics have been associated with waterborne and food-borne contamination. Ingestion of raw shellfish from contaminated waters has caused both sporadic and epidemic cases. Although not as common a cause of liver infection as hepatitis B, it is more frequently associated with jaundice when occurring in adults than either hepatitis B or C an estimated 50% to 70% of infected adults develop jaundice. In contrast, hepatitis A infection in children is rarely associated with jaundice, and thus is usually not detected clinically. The incidence of the disease is declining in the developed world with introduction of hepatitis A vaccine complete immunization of less than half the at-risk population has been shown to reduce incidence of acute hepatitis A infection by more than 90% in areas of high endemicity. Universal vaccination of... 

Gorman M. Development and the rights of older people. In Randel J, German T, Ewing D, eds. The Ageing and Development Report Poverty, Independence and the World s Older People. London Earthscan Publications, 1993 3-21. 

When apphed to large, inflamed areas of skin, salicyhc acid may induce salicylism, with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and hyperventilation. Salicylate poisoning in small children is potentially more serious than in older people because they are at higher risk of developing metabolic acidosis. Several fatal cases of percutaneous salicylate intoxication have been reported in children under 3 years of age. ... 

These diseases are major contributors to disability in older people. The report tested the link between high levels of serum IL-6 and disability in a large population in the USA. Over a thousand older people (65 or older) who had no disability consented to having a blood sample taken and were then interviewed four years later. The 283 people who had developed disability were then compared with 350 selected at random from those who had not. The results of the study were clear-cut ... 

The most serious and common complication of salt iodization is the development of iodine-induced hyperthyroidism (IIH), which affects mainly older people with nodular goiter another possibifity is the aggravation or even the induction of autoimmune thyroiditis. IIH has been reported in almost all iodine supplementation programs in countries with history of severe ID (Stanbury et ai, 1998). However, IIH can occur following iodine supplementation in areas with previous sufficient iodine intake Galofre et al. (1994) the authors have reported increased incidence of both nodular and Graves hyperthyroidism. Also, increased iodine intake is associated with increased incidence of thyroid autoimmune diseases (Papanastasiou et al, 2000 Zois etai, 2003) (Figure 73.4). 

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