Senior Health Solutions ~ Diseases/Conditions


		The information on these pages is intended for general knowledge purposes only. If you have or think you have any of these conditions, you should contact your physician immediately. If you do not have a physician, contact: Hartford Hospital's Health Referral Services: Phone: 860.545.1888 Email: CLICK HERE

Arthritis
(Joint Stiffness & Pain)

While often referred to as if it were a single disease, arthritis is actually an umbrella term used for a group of more than 100 medical conditions that collectively affect nearly 70 million adults and 300,000 children in America alone. While the most common form of arthritis - osteoarthritis (OA) - is most prevalent in people over 60, arthritis in its various forms can start as early as infancy. Some forms affect people in their young-adult years as they are beginning careers and families and still others start during the peak career and child-rearing years.

The common thread among these 100-plus conditions is that they all affect the musculoskeletal system and specifically the joints - where two or more bone meet. Arthritis-related joint problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage (the tough, smooth tissue that covers the ends of the bones, enabling them to glide against one another) and surrounding structures. Such damage can lead to joint weakness, instability and visible deformities that, depending on the location of joint involvement, can interfere with the most basic daily tasks such as walking, climbing stairs, using a computer keyboard, cutting your food or brushing your teeth.

For many people with arthritis, however, joint involvement is not the extent of the problem. Many forms of arthritis are classified as systemic, meaning they can affect the whole body. In these diseases, arthritis can cause damage to virtually any bodily organ or system, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and skin. Arthritis-related conditions primarily affect the muscles and the bones.

The Arthritis Foundation
P.O. Box 7669
Atlanta, GA 30357-0669
1.800.283.7800
www.arthritis.org

Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s (AHLZ-high-merz) disease is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys a person’s memory and ability to learn, reason, make judgments, communicate and carry out daily activities. As Alzheimer’s progresses, individuals may also experience changes in personality and behavior, such as anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations.
Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, new treatments are on the horizon as a result of accelerating insight into the biology of the disease. Research has also shown that effective care and support can improve quality of life for individuals and their caregivers over the course of the disease from diagnosis to the end of life.

Dementia

Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia, a group of conditions that all gradually destroy brain cells and lead to progressive decline in mental function. Vascular dementia, another common form, results from reduced blood flow to the brain’s nerve cells. In some cases, Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia can occur together in a condition called "mixed dementia." Other causes of dementia include frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease advances at widely different rates. The duration of the illness may often vary from 3 to 20 years. The areas of the brain that control memory and thinking skills are affected first, but as the disease progresses, cells die in other regions of the brain. Eventually, the person with Alzheimer’s will need complete care. If the individual has no other serious illness, the loss of brain function itself will cause death.

For more information about Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis and treatment, contact your physician, or:

Congestive Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure is not a heart attack, but is the result of damage to the heart muscle often arising from a heart attack, high blood pressure, congenital heart defects, hardening of the arteries, rheumatic fever, or high blood pressure in the lungs resulting from lung disease. The injured heart muscle is unable to pump strongly enough to maintain normal blood circulation, and blood backs up behind the heart.

Symptoms of congestive heart failure include swelling, most often in the legs and ankles, and difficulty in breathing. Congestive heart failure also affects the kidney's ability to dispose of sodium and water, and this leads to further swelling. The treatment for congestive heart failure generally includes rest, proper diet, drug therapy, and modified daily activities. In some cases, surgery might be needed, as in congestive heart failure caused by a diseased heart valve.

For more information on congestive heart failure, talk with your health care provider.

Dementia

Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities.

For more information about dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis and treatment, contact your physician, or:

Depression

Depression is not necessarily a normal part of aging, but it is common in adults age 65 and older.

Retirement, health problems and the loss of loved ones are things that typically happen to older adults, and feeling sad at these times is normal. But if these feelings persist and keep you from your usual activities, you should talk to your doctor.

To learn more about depression, you can also contact the Hartford HealthCare Geriatric Assessment Center at 860.545.7043 or click below for more information

Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

There are 18.2 million people in the United States, or 6.3% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 5.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

In order to determine whether or not a patient has pre-diabetes or diabetes, health care providers conduct a Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (FPG) or an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT). Either test can be used to diagnose pre-diabetes or diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends the FPG because it is easier, faster, and less expensive to perform.

With the FPG test, a fasting blood glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dl signals pre-diabetes. A person with a fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher has diabetes.

In the OGTT test, a person's blood glucose level is measured after a fast and two hours after drinking a glucose-rich beverage. If the two-hour blood glucose level is between 140 and 199 mg/dl, the person tested has pre-diabetes. If the two-hour blood glucose level is at 200 mg/dl or higher, the person tested has diabetes.

Major Types of Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes
Results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes
Results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases in the United States each year.

Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. There are 41 million Americans who have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 18.2 million with diabetes.

Symptoms and Risk Factors

All forms of diabetes cause the same main symptoms, including frequent urination, excessive thirst, a "run-down," tired feeling, and unexplained weight loss. Additional symptoms include tingling in the hands and feet, blurred vision, itching skin, and slow healing cuts and bruises. Diabetes can produce symptoms early, or they may not appear until years after the onset of the disease. In those cases, diabetes' presence is usually detected during a routine physical exam, either through a urinalysis or blood test.

The people most at risk of getting diabetes are overweight women over forty. Heredity also seems to be an important factor. The disease itself carries many risks, including eye disorders, nerve disease, and kidney failure, as well as an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure.

For more information about the symptoms and risks factors of diabetes, contact your physician, or:

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a lung disease in which the lung is damaged, making it hard to breathe. In COPD, the airways-the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs-are partly obstructed, making it difficult to get air in and out.

Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. Most people with COPD are smokers or former smokers. Breathing in other kinds of lung irritants, like pollution, dust, or chemicals over a long period of time may also cause or contribute to COPD.

The airways branch out like an upside-down tree, and at the end of each branch are many small, balloon-like air sacs. In healthy people, each airway is clear and open, the air sacs are small and dainty, and both are elastic and springy. When you breathe in, each air sac fills up with air, like a small balloon, and when you breathe out, the balloon deflates and the air goes out. In COPD, the airways and air sacs lose their shape and become floppy. Less air gets in and less air goes out because:

COPD develops slowly, and it may be many years before you notice symptoms like feeling short of breath. Most of the time, COPD is diagnosed in middle-aged or older people.

COPD is a major cause of death and illness throughout the world. It is the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the world.

There is no cure for COPD. The damage to your airways and lungs cannot be reversed, but there are things you can do to feel better and slow the damage to your lungs.

For more information on COPD, consult your physician or click on the links below for general information on COPD and other diseases.

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) involves damage to or blockage in the blood vessels distant from your heart—the peripheral arteries and veins. Your peripheral arteries and veins carry blood to and from your arm and leg muscles and the organs in and below your stomach area. PVD may also affect the arteries leading to your head. The main forms that PVD may take include blood clots, swelling (inflammation), or narrowing and blockage of the blood vessels.

Signs and Symptoms

Patients may feel pain in their calves, thighs, or buttocks, depending on where the blockage is. Usually, the amount of pain you feel is a sign of how severe the blockage is. In serious cases, your toes may turn a bluish color, your feet may be cold, and the pulse in your legs may be weak. In some cases, the tissue dies (this is called gangrene) and amputation may be needed.

Sometimes leg cramps develop when a person walks, and the leg pain usually gets worse with increased activity and usually goes away with rest. Cold temperatures and some medicines may also cause leg pain.

Diagnosis

Doctors can make a diagnosis by listening to you describe your symptoms and by checking for a weak pulse in the arteries in your feet. Further tests may include Ultrasound, which is a test that uses sound waves to produce an image of blood flow through your arteries, or Arteriography, which is a test that may be performed if your doctor thinks your condition is serious enough for intervention or surgery. The test uses a harmless dye that is injected into the arteries. It lets doctors see where and how serious the blockage is.

How is a blockage treated?

When the blockages are not severe, this form of PVD can be controlled by losing weight, quitting smoking, and following a regular exercise program that has been approved by your doctor.

A transcatheter intervention (balloon angioplasty or a peripheral stent) may be needed for a severely blocked artery that is causing pain or other symptoms.

Your doctor may also recommend a procedure called a peripheral vascular bypass. This procedure creates a way for blood to flow around one or more of the narrowed vessels. After making an incision in your arm or leg or below your stomach, the surgeon will take an artificial vessel or one of your own veins (called a graft) and connect it to the blocked vessel at points above and below the blockage. This allows blood to flow around, or "bypass," the blockage.

Diseases/Conditions

Arthritis (Joint Stiffness & Pain)

Alzheimer’s Disease

Dementia

Progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Congestive Heart Failure

Dementia

Depression

Diabetes

Major Types of Diabetes

Symptoms and Risk Factors

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Signs and Symptoms

Diagnosis

How is a blockage treated?

Arthritis
(Joint Stiffness & Pain)