During old age, major physical changes occur, and this leads to some elderly people contracting many diseases. Here are the most prominent diseases that affect the elderly.

Aging is a stage from which no one can survive. As a person grows older, clear physical changes occur in the functional organs of the body, and this explains why some elderly people suffer from many diseases that have become closely linked to the stage of old age.

What are the diseases that affect the elderly? What are its most important symptoms? Below are the details:

Diseases affecting the elderly

Diseases that affect the elderly include the following

1. Parkinson''s disease

This disease has become more common among the elderly, and it is a decrease in the number of cells that produce dopamine in the brain, which is the substance responsible for movement. This defect results in the appearance of tremors in the hands and stiffness of the muscles of the face and body as well.

This explains the inability of most elderly people to walk normally due to catatonia, or so-called stiffness, resulting from weak joint capacity.

Another symptom of Parkinson''s disease is imbalance. In the advanced stages, the patient loses balance and coordination in his various movements, and the body and head shift into a forward-bent position with the back arched, which exposes the elderly to falling or stumbling at times.

2. Alzheimer''s disease

One of the most prominent diseases that afflict the elderly is Alzheimer''s disease, which is a pathological condition that affects nerve cells in the brain, leading to their destruction and shrinkage of the brain''s size. It affects the part responsible for language and memory and often occurs in people over the age of sixty.

The most important symptoms of Alzheimer''s include confusion, repetitive speech, memory loss, and decreased mental abilities in elderly people.

3. Hearing impairment

The process of hearing loss that accompanies aging is due to hardening of the arteries that feed the inner ear (i.e. the cochlea). It is one of the most common complications that the elderly suffer from, as the patient resorts to asking to repeat words in order to be able to communicate with others, and this is what makes some people introverted and isolated.

There are a group of symptoms that indicate that a person has hearing loss, including: that the person speaks louder than required, and in some cases there may be ringing in one or both ears.

4. Heart disease

Cardiomyopathy is a very common disease among the elderly that eventually leads to weakening of the body.

One of the symptoms of an enlarged or weak heart muscle is feeling short of breath, especially with any physical effort, even if it is simple.

5. Atrophic arthritis

Atrophic arthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis, especially among the elderly. It is a chronic disease that affects cartilage, which is the connective tissue that lines and protects the surfaces of bones where they meet to form joints, as well as some of the tissues that surround the joint.

Symptoms of atrophic arthritis can include pain, stiffness, and impairment of full joint motion. Joint stiffness is most severe in the morning and then gradually decreases after half an hour.

6. Asthma

It is a chronic inflammation of the respiratory airway. Asthma occurs when the bronchi and bronchi are very sensitive to allergens, especially when exposed to external environmental stimuli.

This can lead to bronchitis and muscle spasms that result in shortness of breath. Symptoms of asthma are recurring bouts or crises of coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness, especially at night and early in the morning.

These attacks are accompanied by narrowing of the bronchi, and improve automatically when the trigger is removed or with treatment.

7. Diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 25% of people age 65 or older live with diabetes, which is a major health risk for older adults.

Diabetes can be identified and treated early by conducting blood tests to measure its sugar level. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the less severe the symptoms will be.