About a hundred years ago, scientists began to actively study the aging process of organisms. Realizing that these changes are multifaceted and regular, at first they singled out a separate science of gerontology as a general direction. Then it separated the medical unit dealing with diseases in old age. What kind of doctor is a geriatrician, few know. However, the number of people surviving to old age is increasing every day, which means that the relevance of training such specialists is increasing.
What kind of doctor is a geriatrician?
A doctor who deals with the prevention of diseases, their treatment, and rehabilitation in elderly patients is called a geriatrician. What does such a specialist treat? The list of diseases is quite extensive. A geriatrician tries to build preventive and curative measures for an aging patient in such a way as to prolong his active, independent lifestyle. The age of a person is not a sentence, but it is he who can determine the predisposition to a certain pathology. The geriatrician deals with the problems of the elderly (60-74) and the elderly (75-90). Patients at this age have several important features:
- Anatomical and physiological differences in a he althy body.
- Differences in the course of common illnesses.
- Diseases of the elderly.
Anatomical and physiological features of the elderly
In the body of an elderly person, internal processes occur, as a result of which morphological and physiological changes accumulate. They are characterized by:
- Different flow times. Involution of the gonads in women can occur at 50-55-60 years. In contrast, the activity of the pituitary gland can persist throughout life.
- In different areas of the body, aging processes can be expressed to varying degrees.
- The rate of aging in organs and systems is also not the same. Changes in the bones, although they appear early, increase at a slow rate. Disorders in the nervous system can, manifesting late, progress rapidly.
- Processes occurring in different tissues may differ in direction (building-destruction). This reflects adaptation to changes in the body, regulation, and not simple accumulation.
The aging process leads to morphological, structural and functional disorders. They reflect the age anatomy. In the course of aging, the appearance, ratios, functionality of organs, their size and position change. For example, the weight of the brain, its size and volume are reduced by 20-25%. The accumulation of changes leads to cell death, and gradually their mass in the bodydecreasing.
Age anatomy is characterized by a decrease in the size of organs and a weakening of the ligamentous apparatus, ptosis is observed. The omission may be uneven and not lead to impaired functioning. And it can cause serious illness.
How the elderly get sick
A person's age testifies not only to a certain social status, but also to the peculiarities of the course of common diseases that can occur at the age of 20 and at 76. For example, bronchitis, SARS, hypertension. The features of the course of diseases in the elderly are:
- Atypical course. The weakening of defense mechanisms leads to greater vulnerability of the elderly patient. A common cold can lead to bilateral pneumonia, and a minor abrasion can lead to gangrene. Therefore, treatment should always be adequate.
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Erasing of the clinical picture. When significant disturbances occur, the body's response is inadequate and leads to meager complaints. Bilateral pneumonia can occur with a body temperature of 37.1.
- In the body there are violations of many organs and systems. Therefore, exacerbations of diseases of the endocrine system can be manifested by symptoms of cardiovascular pathology.
- Early appearance of complaints. Compensatory abilities are significantly undermined, and therefore, even with the first signs of the disease, complaints can be significant.
Diseases of the elderly and senile age
For every agethere are characteristic, specific diseases. They are also found in older patients. Dementia, atherosclerosis, urinary incontinence - the list goes on and on. Most diseases associated with old age may appear earlier. But in 90% of cases, they will show themselves after 60.
What does a geriatrician treat
Medical services do not currently provide individual doctor appointments for older patients. They are treated by therapists. Some medical universities are already preparing such specialists to work in polyclinics, so soon the provinces will have the opportunity to see firsthand what kind of geriatrician is. He not only understands what diseases occur in elderly patients, but also knows about the features of their course, diagnosis and treatment in this age group. Analyzing complaints and data from laboratory and instrumental methods, he makes a diagnosis. After comparing the possible impact of treatment on comorbidity, he chooses the optimal therapy regimen. Geriatricians may specialize in geriatric cardiology, endocrinology, neurology, etc.
Diseases of the cardiovascular system
Most older people have a pathology of the vascular system. Vascular atherosclerosis, hypertension of a different nature, arrhythmias, heart failure - all these diseases are treated by a geriatrician, taking into account age-related characteristics.
Neurological diseases
It is this group of diseases that to a greater extent limits the ability of elderly patients toself-service. Medical care for them at home is also limited. Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, strokes, dementia and many other diseases will be managed by a geriatrician.
Psychiatric pathology
Depression and anxiety are frequent companions of the older age group. Because of them, patients reduce socialization, become isolated and fenced off from active life. These are not just character traits, this is a pathology that requires adequate treatment.
Exchange-endocrine disorders
Disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine glands significantly impair the functioning of other organs and systems. Diabetes leads to polyneuropathy. Further development of complications can be trophic ulcers, impotence, decreased vision, the development of painless forms of myocardial infarction. Thyrotoxicosis leads to abnormal heart rhythm.
Diseases of the genitourinary system
Impotence, prostate adenoma, urinary incontinence are common manifestations of age-related changes. It must be remembered that the identified ptosis of the kidneys or bacteriuria without signs of disease (temperature, renal parameters, shift in the total blood volume) does not require the use of drug therapy. In this case, they are only a reflection of the patient's age.
Disorders of the musculoskeletal system
A significant obstacle to the movement of the elderly are numerous disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Osteoporosis changes bone density. The elasticity of the intervertebral discs decreases, which can change theirlocation.
Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
Against the background of a decrease in the function of the digestive glands and intestinal motility, constipation, hemorrhoids, anal fissures are observed.
Besides, the deterioration of vision, hearing, tactile perception predispose to a decrease in the social adaptation of such patients. People enter old age with about 4 chronic diseases. In another 10 years, their number will double.
Why should you see a geriatrician
When complaints arise, elderly patients try to heal themselves. After a considerable time after the unsuccessful intake of various means, they turn to the local therapist. In most cases, patients receive standard treatment regimens there, without taking into account the filtering ability of the kidneys and other age-related changes. It is a specialist who has studied the physiology of the elderly and pharmacological transformations who can help most effectively.
However, wondering what kind of doctor a geriatrician is, it must be remembered that he does not only treat. It is necessary to contact such a specialist in advance to develop an individual plan for maintaining an active life. It will include recommendations on exercise, diet and physical activity. And in the event of a disease, recommendations for treatment will be given in accordance with the age of the patient. It is the knowledge of deep features that cause positive reviews about geriatrics.
Now there are about 700 million peopleelderly and senile age. The average age of the inhabitants of the Earth is steadily increasing. This trend predicts an increase in the need for geriatric care in the near future.
