One Minute, You’re Fine
Certain illnesses can manifest abruptly and cruelly in people over 50. Furthermore, discomforts and aches you may not have given much thought to in your youth may indicate more serious issues in your middle years.
Heart Attack
This is the big one: each year, 735,000 people experience one. A fifty-year-old man’s chances of developing heart disease are one in two at some point. The most typical symptoms include back, shoulders, or neck pain, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Additionally, you can feel lightheaded, overheated, or like you’re about to pass out. If you maintain a healthy weight, abstain from smoking, and exercise regularly, your risk is reduced.
Stroke
This is the point at which brain cells begin to die because blood isn’t getting to certain areas of your brain as it should. If you have sudden weakness or numbness in your arms, legs, or face, become disoriented, or find it difficult to talk, get treatment right away. By controlling your blood pressure, eating a low-cholesterol diet, managing your stress, exercising, and giving up smoking, you can reduce your chances.
Aneurysm
You may be less likely to get this if you adopt several of the lifestyle modifications intended to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. An aneurysm develops when an artery’s wall weakens and enlarges. That wall could collapse, causing a stroke or significant internal bleeding. Pain, nausea, lightheadedness, clammy skin, and an accelerated heartbeat are some of the symptoms.
Gallstones
These are bile chunks that have solidified; bile aids in the removal of waste from your body. When they try to exit your gallbladder, a little organ located beneath your liver, they become stuck. They can cause excruciating discomfort in your upper abdomen or beneath your belly button and range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. If you don’t exercise, have diabetes, Crohn’s disease, or are fat, your chances of getting them increase.
Acute Pancreatitis
Gallstones can occasionally trigger this. The pancreas, which produces hormones and enzymes like insulin to aid in digesting, is inflamed. It can be fatal and produce excruciating stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever. If any of these symptoms apply to you, get medical attention right now. Triglycerides, a type of fat, excessive drinking, and elevated calcium levels might all be contributing factors.
Shattered Bones
These can occur at any age, but as you age, your bones may become more fragile and prone to breaking. Osteoporosis is the term for a loss of bone, and it is particularly prevalent in elderly women. Certain medications can help you maintain or even rebuild bone, and calcium and vitamin D can help slow it down or prevent it from getting worse.
Dizziness
If you feel lightheaded all of a sudden, you may have vertigo. It may occur if the little crystals in your inner ear, which aid in balance regulation, become dislodged. As you age, the likelihood of getting it increases, most likely due to the crystals losing their structural integrity. Your doctor can treat it by moving the particles back into position with a series of head motions.
Detached Retina
The layer of your eye called the retina, which is sensitive to light, relays what it sees to your brain. It won’t acquire oxygen and other necessities if it moves away from your eye’s outer wall. It’s possible to witness light flashes or floating particles. See a doctor as soon as possible since you could lose your sight permanently. Those with additional eye conditions, cataract surgery, or extreme nearsightedness are more likely to experience it.
Kidney Stones
These are hard lumps that accumulate in your kidneys, mainly composed of calcium. While smaller ones usually exit your body without any harm, larger ones might cause severe discomfort, bleeding, infections, or obstructions in the urine’s flow. Men are more likely than women to have them. Drinking lots of water each day will help prevent them. The best is water.
Pneumonia
The type of pneumonia that is caused by bacteria, not viruses, is more common in people over 50. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially fatal illness. Because the immune system of the body deteriorates with age, older people are more susceptible to contracting it. However, there is a vaccine for it, and anyone over 65 should get one, according to the CDC.
Spinal Stenosis
Although it develops gradually, it can manifest itself abruptly. It occurs when the spinal cord and other nerves are trapped in a narrowed canal in your backbone, commonly as a result of arthritis. Your lower back or neck may experience discomfort, numbness, or cramping due to a pinched or crushed nerve. Physical therapy, medication, or, in certain situations, surgery, can all be used to treat it.
Gout
This ailment manifests as an abrupt onset of discomfort and swelling in one of your joints, usually the big toe. It’s a type of arthritis brought on by an accumulation of uric acid in the body. You have a larger risk if you consume alcohol, red meat, shellfish, or certain drugs for high blood pressure. Obesity and fructose, the sugar found in soda, also increase your risk.
Pulmonary Embolism
This is the result of a blood clot becoming lodged in a pulmonary blood artery. If you have sudden shortness of breath, dizziness, or chest pain, you should seek medical attention right away because the likelihood of developing one increases beyond the age of 50. Leg pains, clammy or bluish skin, and a cough that even seems to be bringing up blood are some possible symptoms. An early indicator of a blood clot could be pain or swelling in one of your calves, as these conditions commonly begin in the leg.
Your risk increases if you have cardiac disease, have just had surgery, or have spent a lot of time in a confined space (such as an automobile or airplane).