SIGNS OF AN OVERACTIVE THYROID (HYPERTHYROIDISM) IN OLDER PERSONS

Human thyroid gland overlying trachea

The risk of hyperthyroidism increases as we age, and it’s especially tricky to diagnose in older persons.

The symptoms of an overactive thyroid are so diverse, affecting your mood, energy, body temperature, heart and weight that it’s difficult to get the correct diagnosis the first time around.

Compared to younger hyperthyroid patients, older patients are less likely to show the typical signs of increased sweating, heat tolerance, hand tremors, nervousness, excessive thirst and increased appetite.

For older persons, the following symptoms may be present:

1.  Depression  An older person is more likely than a younger person to develop depression.

2.  Heart Failure  Because hyperthyroidism places such a heavy burden on the heart, the heart can’t effectively pump blood through the body.   Shortness of breath, swelling in the ankles and weakness and fatigue are among the signs of heart failure.

3.  Atrial fibrillation  In a recent study, 35% of older people with hyperthyroidism experienced the disorganized heart rhythms of atrial fibrillation.

4.  Excessive weight loss  Older hyperthyroid patients tend to lose more weight than do younger patients and may even appear malnourished.  Muscle weakness may be a side effect of severe weight loss.

Source:  Harvard Medical School Healthbeat, January 19, 2013

HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: KEEP THE HIDDEN BURDEN OF HYPERTENSION AT BAY

Hypertension is a gateway to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease.

Probably because of its interference with health, on average the life span of people with hypertension is five years shorter than that of people with normal blood pressure.

Hypertension directly leads to 60,000 deaths a year and contributes to another 300,000 deaths.

Quite naturally, if you’re working to control it, you’re burdened with concerns. You must reprogram your eating and exercise habits and begin a regimen of one or more pills a day, pills which may be expensive.

Spanish researchers uncovered another hidden burden associated with high blood pressure: its effect on survival after both admission and readmission to hospitals.

Over a 10-month period, they studied 1,007 men and women admitted to a hospital for any heart-related problem, including chest pain, fainting, heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and pericarditis.

In this group of patients, 69% had pre-existing hypertension before being admitted. At the end of one year, 17% of those with high blood pressure were dead compared to only 9% of those with normal blood pressure.

Patients rehospitalized for a cardiac problem had similar outcomes: 31% with pre-existing high blood pressure died within a year compared to only 18% with normal blood pressure.

There are many things you can do to keep your hypertension under control and even prevent the condition from developing. Here are the recommendations of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and the American Heart Association:

Achieve & maintain a healthy weight for your height.

Exercise regularly.

Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Limit sodium intake to under 2,300 milligrams (one teaspoon) a day.

Get plenty of potassium (4,700 milligrams) a day.

Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.

Reduce stress.

Monitor your blood pressure regularly, and work with your doctor to keep it in a healthy range.

from Harvard Medical School Healthbeat June 7, 2012