Health Check-ups and Its Importance for Elderly People - A Complete Review

Introduction

Aging is a natural process. In the human body, mechanisms like the production of reactive oxygen species, hormonal dysregulation, DNA damage, and accumulation of toxic byproducts are responsible for aging. The physiological changes caused by aging may cause many pathological conditions. Periodic health checkups are beneficial in diagnosing and identifying such situations.

Why Is Health Check-up Important for Elderly People?

Aging is a natural physiological response characterized by functional and morphological changes in cellular functionality. This causes changes in the response of the different organs. These changes are:

1. Cardiac changes are the most common changes seen in the body. In elderly people, a change in cardiac output and cardiac index is observed. The cardiac output of an 80-year-old person is almost half that of a young person. Increased age causes decreased functionality of the cardiac muscles. Fibrosis of the lungs due to aging is also an important age-related cardiac change. Apart from this, aging causes amyloid deposition in the various portions of the heart. Increased afterload in the heart is associated with shape changes in the heart.

2. Changes in the blood vessels are responsible for blood vessel disorders and cardiovascular disorders. Increasing age is responsible for the loss of elasticity of the blood vessels. Such changes are accompanied by thickening of the walls of arteries and deposition of collagen in the middle layer of the blood vessels. This is one of the main reasons for increased blood pressure with increasing age. Almost 50 percent of the world's population above the age of 65 suffer from hypertension. Hypertension or increased blood pressure is associated with increased incidence of stroke, coronary artery diseases, and cardiac diseases. Narrowing of the blood vessels is one of the significant causes of heart disease. These narrowing of the blood vessels are observed due to the deposition of fibrous or lipid plaque in the blood vessels. The risk factors for atherosclerotic changes in the blood vessels are smoking, alcoholism, and diet.

3. A decrease in lung capacity is common in elderly individuals. Apart from this, a decrease in the total lung volume capacity and ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity are observed in older people. Morphological changes in the alveolar epithelium cause a mismatch of ventilation and perfusion. Factors like lung disorders and poor ventilation, less exchange of air in the alveoli, decreased mucociliary transport, decreased cough reflex, and decreased elasticity of alveoli increase susceptibility to lung infections. Chronic lung disorders like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders are responsible for right-sided heart failure.

What Are the Health Check-up Parameters for the Elderly?

Several parameters are checked to detect the well-being of elderly people. These parameters are;

1. Functional Status: Assessment of patients' functional status of elderly is important. Two types of activities are assessed in this category. The first one is basic activities of daily living (BADL), which includes an assessment of the various daily activities. The second one is instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), which includes the assessment of activities related to social life. These assessments help to determine a person's mental, psychological, and physical well-being.

2. Physical Health: Assessment of physical parameters is the most important part of understanding the condition of various organs. To determine the condition of various organs, the following parameters are assessed;

• Blood health is evaluated by examining parameters like hemoglobin percentage, total red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and platelet count. Apart from this, blood coagulation and sedimentation rate assessment is evaluated. The level of different blood cells, like white blood cells, can be used to assess different conditions like systemic infections and cancerous growth.

• Cardiac assessment is done primarily through history taking. ECG analysis is a relatively cost-effective method for evaluating heart health.

• Lung changes are determined with the help of radiographs. Lung function tests are effective in assessing the functional changes in the lungs.

• Different liver function tests can diagnose liver health.

• Urine analysis is another important diagnostic test to detect kidney function and renal functions. The presence of pus, blood cells, and blood suggests urinary tract infection, which is common among older individuals.

• Assessment of neurological health is important to determine neurological and psychological well-being. Physical examination for nerve functioning and a brain CT (computed tomography) scan are important diagnostic tests for this purpose. Psychological evaluation for mental well-being is also necessary.

What Is the Importance of Cancer Screening in the Elderly People?

Cancer screening is one of the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle for older individuals. The prevalence of several cancers is relatively high among older individuals. Regular screening for cancer can prevent malignant transformation and help prevent cancer-related deaths.

1. Breast Cancer: The prevalence of breast cancer among elderly women is very high. It is one of the significant causes of death in women. Globally, it is the most prevalent cancer in women. Self-assessment is one of the primary methods of diagnosing cancerous changes in the breast. Apart from this, different functional assessment scales, such as the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale or Karnofsky performance status (KPS), are utilized to assess risk patterns for breast cancer. These scales evaluate the medical, psychological, and functional capabilities of geriatric women. Definitive examinations are done with the help of procedures like digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), breast ultrasound, and breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

2. Prostate Cancer: This is one of the most common cancers seen in elderly men. It is the fifth leading cause of death in men in the world. Diagnostic tests like quantification of prostate-specific antigen level (PSA) and identification of biomarkers are one of the important steps to detect prostate cancer. Apart from this, physical examination and computed tomography are important tests for diagnosing prostate cancer.

3. Colorectal Cancer: The incidence of colon cancers and colorectal cancers is increasing day by day among older individuals. Diagnostic tests such as endoscopic ultrasound, MRI, and colonoscopy are important diagnostic tests to detect colon cancers.

Conclusion

A decline in health parameters is common in elderly people due to aging. As a result, functional chances in the various organs are seen. Regular health check-ups are useful to detect pathological changes in the body. This helps to take precautionary measures and prevent a decline in health.