Many elderly people quickly become seriously ill despite mild symptoms.

Subjective because of thinking the weather is changing

Mr. NVT (Hanoi) was taken to the Central Geriatric Hospital for examination after several days of fatigue. Upon examination, the doctor found that Mr. T's blood pressure was very high, nearly 200/65 mmhg, he was breathing rapidly and had an irregular heartbeat.

After performing some paraclinical tests, the doctor discovered that in addition to the problem of atrial fibrillation, the patient also had very clear warning signs of heart failure, with X-rays showing very typical damage to the lungs... Pneumonia on the background of atrial fibrillation is potentially life-threatening if treatment is delayed.

Medical staff are handling an emergency case at the Central Geriatric Hospital.

Dr. Ha Van Anh, Head of the Examination Department, Central Geriatric Hospital, shared: "This patient had never been diagnosed with high blood pressure before, had no clear history of cardiovascular disease, and especially did not cough much, did not have a fever, but only felt tired. However, when examined again, many symptoms were life-threatening. Fortunately, the patient was taken to the hospital in time.

This case shows that the symptoms of the disease in the elderly are not the same as in young people. Although the disease becomes severe, the signs of the disease are very faint. If you see very small changes in the elderly, the family should take the initiative to take them to a medical facility for examination, avoiding the situation of thinking that the elderly are tired due to the weather and then delaying the examination...".

Dr. Van Anh added that during the current cold weather, the number of patients coming to see a doctor has increased, but not too much. However, it is worth noting that the number of seriously ill patients who have to be hospitalized has increased significantly. Normally, the outpatient department receives 8-10 patients per day, but recently, this number has doubled.

Patients were hospitalized for many reasons, but mainly related to blood pressure fluctuations, acute heart failure or pneumonia, joint pain, sciatica, and spinal pain. The difference is that during this cold spell, the number of patients with cardiovascular problems increased, while last year, respiratory diseases and pneumonia were common.

Emergency patients increased by 40%

In the Emergency Department - Stroke area, the Central Geriatric Hospital regularly maintains about 45-50 patients. Standing and sitting outside the corridor of the emergency area, Mr. NT (Long Bien, Hanoi) shared his worries: "Last night, my father, nearly 90 years old, was brought here for emergency treatment due to a stroke. Now he is on a ventilator in the ICU, not sure if he is okay."

Outside the emergency area, Mr. NVK (living in Dong Da, Hanoi) was brought to the emergency room by his children and grandchildren because of high blood pressure. Ms. V (Mr. K's daughter) said: "We measured his blood pressure at home and saw that it was abnormally high, accompanied by vomiting, so the family rushed him here for emergency treatment. My father is 77 this year, and he had a history of pneumonia, so we brought him to the hospital for peace of mind."

Serious patients are being treated in the ICU.

According to Dr. Bui Tuong Lan, Department of Emergency - Stroke, Central Geriatric Hospital, 50% of emergency patients have strokes. In the ICU area alone with 12 ventilator beds, there were 8 stroke cases.

In the past week, the number of patients admitted to the emergency room at the Central Geriatric Hospital has increased by about 40% compared to the previous period, mainly respiratory diseases, strokes and cardiovascular diseases... Notably, many patients were not seriously ill when they were first admitted but then became seriously ill very quickly. According to Dr. Bui Tuong Lan, the serious underlying disease combined with the cold weather makes the body's resistance weaker. The resistance, ability to decompensate and adapt to the environment of the elderly are also weaker... leading to a much more serious condition.

"To prevent this, the elderly need to pay attention to keeping warm, treating underlying diseases, and being careful with signs of upper respiratory tract infections, high blood pressure, etc. and proactively seek early examination to receive active treatment from the beginning," said Dr. Lan.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nhieu-nguoi-gia-nhanh-chong-tro-nang-du-trieu-chung-benh-mo-nhat-192240126214406232.htm