Teeth loss, dry salivary glands, decreased number of intestinal villi, poor stomach contraction, shrinking digestive system affect contractility, secretion and absorption in the digestive tract and cause a number of Very common pathology in the elderly such as constipation, hemorrhoids, ulcers, stomach prolapse, gallstones ...
Impaired digestive function (Gastrointestinal Impairment)
Normally, the gastrointestinal system is divided into sections, including the gastrointestinal tract and structures associated with specific functions. The gastrointestinal tract includes the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anal and anal tubes. These combined structures include teeth, lips, cheeks, tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver and gallbladder. Impaired digestive function can result from any number of functional disorders, including low levels of essential stomach acid (hypochlorhydria), insufficient pancreatic digestive enzymes, and bile salt deficiency. Disorders of the liver, kidneys, and pancreas can all result from, or contribute to, maldigestion. The abdominal wall muscles and tendons between the viscera are weakened, so the abdomen often sags, the organs often become sa. The amount and activity of digestive enzymes decreases, and at the age of 60 years, acidosis secretes by only 40-50% in young people. Gastric and intestinal motility decreased, the ability to absorb food and digest substances also greatly reduced. These changes can be factors that easily lead to gastritis, in the elderly, the phenomenon of stomach enlargement, constipation ...
Common digestive diseases such as diarrhea, constipation, stomach ulcers ...
Gastrointestinal function has variable laboratory values such as total albumin reflecting liver function and decreased nutritional status, ALT enzyme increases with age, blood calcium decreases, blood sugar and potassium increase. Decreasing motility of the colon prevents food from moving in the rest of the digestive tract and out of the body. Increasing the circulation time of the food mass in the intestine causes more water reabsorption, leading to increased constipation in the elderly.
Some common digestive diseases
Choking:
Difficulty swallowing and choking are common in the elderly because when the body is aging, the digestive tract also narrows gradually, the epithelium of the oral mucosa becomes thinner, making it difficult to swallow. . If eaten in a hurry, inattention, the elderly (NCT) are easily choking with the common manifestation is difficulty swallowing, sudden shortness of breath, severe cough due to food clogged in the throat, esophagus, trachea or even esophagus and trachea. In severe cases, if not treated promptly, choking can cause severe hypoxia, leading to death.
Poor appetite:
Due to the gradual deterioration of the digestive system, decreased gastric secretion, and contraction of the intestinal muscles, food also moves slowly from the upper intestine to the lower segments so many elderly people often do not have a cold. hunger when it comes to meals, leading to skipping meals However, there are other causes of loss of appetite, such as decreased appetite, low saliva, chronic illness, fatigue, pain, insomnia, or anxiety or anxiety. mood of insecurity.
Gastric prolapse:
Gastric prolapse is a phenomenon where the stomach is not in its proper position. Normally, the stomach is mainly in the 11th ribs on the left, another part is in the upper abdomen. If the stomach contraction is poor, it can make the stomach go down from mild to severe levels (seen in 1/3 of elderly people over 70 years old). There are cases of the stomach descending to the navel, including the pelvis. If the stomach is very low, it will cause a feeling of "fullness" after eating, food remains in the stomach for a long time, causing a "lumbering" and "heavy" feeling. In addition, the muscles in the abdominal wall are "soft", when standing upright but the abdomen "stretches" forward without regard to the thick layer of abdominal fat also causes stomach prolapse. The remedy for this phenomenon in many cases is regular exercise of the abdominal muscles.
Gastric ulcer:
This is the condition where one or more ulcers appear on the surface of the stomach lining causing pain. Gastric ulcer is a recurrent chronic illness and has the highest incidence of gastrointestinal diseases. In the elderly, when the acidity in the gastric juice decreases, there is an opportunity for Helicobacter Pylory (HP) activity to cause stomach ulcers. However, some people with normal gastric acidity experience problems with reflux of gastric juice in the esophagus, causing damage to the esophagus and burning sensation in the esophagus.
Constipation:
The most common problem in the elderly. Constipation is often chronic and has a major impact on public health, if not treated promptly can be life-threatening. In addition to changes with age, limiting exercise is also a major cause of constipation. Drinking enough water is one of the recommendations to minimize the risk of constipation in the elderly. The elderly are not seriously ill, daily water intake should be 0–35ml of fluid / kg of body weight. Maintain a diet full of leafy greens and whole grains. Exercise is effective quickly and significantly with constipation. Stool softeners, enemas, and laxatives may be used if constipation is severe
Fecal discharge:
Fecal discharge is the unintended leakage. In the United States, about 45% of frail elderly people who have nursing home care have this problem. Stool may occur partly due to old age but can also be due to: a history of urination, neuropathy, sedentary, confusion, over 70 years old. According to the Center for Gastrointestinal and Gastrointestinal Disorders, University of North Carolina, USA, stool-associated bowel disease, diarrhea, constipation, newborn trauma, diabetes, ulcerative colitis and prolapse dementia. As with constipation, a high-fiber diet and adequate intake, adequate water and regular exercise can help prevent and treat bowel movements. For patients who are not smart enough, it is necessary to practice the habit of going out. In severe cases, the anal sphincter may tear and require surgery to treat.
Hemorrhoids:
The function of bowel contraction, secretion and absorption in the elderly weakens over time, making it easy for bowel disorders to arise. Meanwhile, smooth muscle tone of the colon, anal sphincter and ligaments is impaired, weak rectal anal vein system ... making elderly people very susceptible to hemorrhoids with characteristics of hemorrhoids. The mixture includes internal and external hemorrhoids, tufts of hemorrhoids that are prone to receding, hemorrhage and fibrosis.
Chronic colitis:
This is a condition caused by repeated chronic digestive disorders, lasting for at least 3 months without changing the structure or biochemical factors of the stomach and intestines. The most common symptom of chronic colitis in the elderly is dull abdominal pain, sometimes with severe pain, feeling of fullness, boiling, burning, bowel disorders, sometimes constipation. Every 4-5 days to go once, sometimes go loose 3-4 times a day. There are cases where the patient is interspersed with both apples and liquid. Over time, the patient is often very uncomfortable, mentally insecure, sleep deprived, leading to poor sleep or prolonged insomnia.
Gallstones:
From the age of 40, the gallbladder has begun to show signs of "old", atrophic (containing a little bile), the muscles of the gallbladder wall are not able to contract (pushing all bile down to the intestine), in addition the liver is also poorly productive bile production, the amount of residual bile easily creates stones. It can be said that diseases of the gallbladder and bile ducts (inflammation, stones) in the elderly have a very high rate compared to young people.
How to do avoid gastrointestinal problems?
Due to the physiological characteristics, the parts of the digestive system are impaired, so in the daily life, the elderly should pay attention to:
Eat slowly, chew carefully:
This measure not only prevents the elderly from choking, choking food, but also helps protect the digestive system.
Drink plenty of water:
Seniors are often afraid to drink water because they have to urinate many times, especially at night, which will cause a lot of trouble in people with weak health, difficulty walking and dementia. However, to avoid constipation, gradually appear hemorrhoids, elderly people need to drink enough water to help normal digestion. The amount of drinking water per day is about 2 liters. Besides, should add fiber-rich foods such as sweet potatoes or other vegetables like jute, spinach soup ...
Eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits:
To avoid bloating, indigestion, unhealthy stools, the elderly should eat easy chewing foods, eat plenty of green vegetables and fruits on the daily menu.
Exercise regularly:
For the elderly, being active does not mean doing vigorous movements but only doing gentle movements like massaging the abdomen, muscles or walking (can go indoors, in the courtyard). Exercise time should not be too long, only about 60 minutes / day divided into 2-3 times is moderate. In addition, the elderly should also have mental activities such as reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, watching television, joining clubs or group activities to be more optimistic, more happy with old age.
Source Suckhoedoisong.vn
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