You might think that some changes, like memory loss, are inevitable as the years roll by. And that can be true – but serious conditions like dementia, though more common among older people, are not an ordinary part of healthy ageing.
In general, Dominic Greenyer, a private GP at The Health Suite, told HuffPost UK: “Ageing naturally brings some change. People may notice a modest reduction in muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular fitness, hearing, vision or the speed at which they process information.
“However, severe or rapidly progressing decline should not automatically be dismissed as an inevitable part of getting older.”
Sometimes, people call non-standard deterioration “pathological ageing”. Here, we asked the GP to explain what the term means, as well as the signs you may be experiencing one or the other.
It’s not a single formal condition, the doctor said.
Instead, pathological ageing describes “deterioration driven or accelerated by disease, rather than the gradual biological changes we would ordinarily expect as a person grows older… [it may] involve illness or damage that significantly affects a person’s function and independence”.
That might include cardiovascular disease, poorly controlled diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia, chronic lung disease, severe frailty or substantial muscle loss.
“One of the dangers of describing every new symptom as ‘just old age’ is that treatable conditions can be missed,” the GP continued.
“Persistent exhaustion, unexplained weight loss, repeated falls, worsening breathlessness, new confusion, significant memory changes or a sudden loss of strength should be properly assessed.”
Older people may be led to believe that “pain, fatigue or loss of mobility is something they simply have to tolerate”; but that’s not always the case.
“The important questions are how quickly the change has happened, whether it is affecting everyday life, and whether an underlying condition may be contributing to it.”
Dr Greenyer said that healthy ageing doesn’t mean reaching old age without any disease whatsoever. In fact, he considers healthy vs pathological ageing as more of a “spectrum” than separate poles.
“Many people live well with arthritis, high blood pressure or other long-term conditions when these are recognised, treated and properly controlled,” he said.
But a person’s level of functionality matters here.
“Healthy ageing means preserving as much physical capacity, cognitive ability, independence and social engagement as possible. A person may have a diagnosis but still remain active, make their own decisions, maintain relationships and continue doing the things that matter to them,” the GP explained.
Source: Read the original article on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
