Characteristics of pulse in elderly people. Should low heart rate be treated in older people? Measures to combat bradycardia at home

The very first actions in providing emergency assistance involve an objective assessment of the situation and the patient’s condition, so the person acting as a rescuer primarily grabs the radial artery (temporal, femoral or carotid) to find out about the presence of cardiac activity and measure the pulse.

The pulse rate is not a fixed value; it varies within certain limits depending on our condition at that time. Intense physical activity, excitement, joy make the heart beat faster, and then the pulse goes beyond normal limits. True, this state does not last long, healthy body 5-6 minutes are enough to recover.

Within normal limits

The normal heart rate for an adult is 60-80 beats per minute, that which is greater is called , less is called . If pathological conditions become the cause of such fluctuations, then both tachycardia and bradycardia are regarded as a symptom of the disease. However, there are other cases. Probably, each of us has ever encountered a situation when the heart is ready to jump out from an excess of feelings and this is considered normal.

As for the rare pulse, it is mainly an indicator of pathological changes in the heart.

The normal human pulse changes in various physiological states:

It slows down in sleep, and generally in a supine position, but does not reach real bradycardia;
Changes during the day (at night the heart beats less frequently, after lunch the rhythm accelerates), as well as after eating, alcoholic drinks, strong tea or coffee, some medications (heart rate increases in 1 minute);
Increases during intense physical activity(hard work, sports training);
Increases from fear, joy, anxiety and other emotional experiences. caused by emotions or intense work, almost always passes quickly and independently, as soon as the person calms down or stops vigorous activity;
The heart rate increases with increasing body and environmental temperature;
It decreases over the years, but then, in old age, it increases slightly again. In women with the onset of menopause, in conditions of reduced estrogen influence, more significant upward changes in pulse may be observed (tachycardia caused by hormonal disorders);
Depends on gender (the pulse rate in women is slightly higher);
It differs in especially trained people (slow pulse).

Basically, it is generally accepted that in any case the pulse of a healthy person is in the range from 60 to 80 beats per minute, and a short-term increase to 90-100 beats/min, and sometimes up to 170-200 beats/min is regarded as a physiological norm, if it arose due to an emotional outburst or intense labor activity respectively.

Men, women, athletes

Heart rate (heart rate) is influenced by indicators such as gender and age, physical fitness, a person’s occupation, the environment in which he lives, and much more. In general, differences in heart rate can be explained as follows:

Men and women react to different events to varying degrees(the majority of men are more cold-blooded, women are mostly emotional and sensitive), so the heart rate of the weaker sex is higher. Meanwhile, the pulse rate in women differs very little from that in men, although, if we take into account the difference of 6-8 beats/min, then males lag behind, their pulse is lower.

Out of competition are pregnant women, in which a slightly elevated heart rate is considered normal and this is understandable, because while carrying a child, the mother’s body must fully meet the need for oxygen and nutrients ah yourself and the growing fruit. Respiratory system, circulatory system, the heart muscle undergoes certain changes to perform this task, so the heart rate increases moderately. A slightly elevated heart rate in a pregnant woman is considered normal if, besides pregnancy, there is no other reason for its increase.
A relatively rare pulse (somewhere near the lower limit) is observed in people who do not forget about daily exercise and jogging, preferring active recreation (swimming pool, volleyball, tennis, etc.), in general, leading very healthy image life and watching their figure. They say about such people: “They are in good sports shape,” even if by the nature of their activity these people are far from professional sports. A pulse of 55 beats per minute at rest is considered normal for this category of adults, their heart simply works economically, but in an untrained person this frequency is regarded as bradycardia and serves as a reason for additional examination by a cardiologist.
The heart works even more economically skiers, cyclists, runners, rowers and adherents of other sports that require special endurance, their resting heart rate can be 45-50 beats per minute. However, prolonged intense stress on the heart muscle leads to its thickening, expansion of the boundaries of the heart, and an increase in its mass, because the heart is constantly trying to adapt, but its capabilities, unfortunately, are not limitless. Heart rate less than 40 beats is regarded as pathological condition, ultimately develops the so-called “athletic heart”, which often becomes the cause of death of young healthy people.

Heart rate depends somewhat on height and constitution: tall people the heart under normal conditions works slower than that of short relatives.

Pulse and age

Previously, the fetal heart rate was found out only at 5-6 months of pregnancy (listened to with a stethoscope), now the fetal pulse can be determined using the ultrasound method (vaginal sensor) in an embryo measuring 2 mm (normal - 75 beats / min) and as it grows (5 mm – 100 beats/min, 15 mm – 130 beats/min). During pregnancy monitoring, heart rate usually begins to be assessed from 4-5 weeks of pregnancy. The obtained data is compared with tabular norms Fetal heart rate by week:

Gestation period (weeks)	Normal heart rate (beats per minute)
4-5	80-103
6	100-130
7	130-150
8	150-170
9-10	170-190
11-40	140-160

By the fetal heart rate you can determine its condition: if the baby’s pulse changes towards an increase, it can be assumed that there is a lack of oxygen, but as the pulse increases, it begins to decrease, and its values less than 120 beats per minute already indicate acute oxygen starvation, which threatens with undesirable consequences, including death.

Heart rate norms in children, especially newborns and preschool children, differ markedly from the values typical for adolescence and youth. We, adults, ourselves noticed that the little heart beats more often and not so loudly. To clearly know whether this indicator is within normal values, there is table of heart rate norms by age which everyone can use:

Age	Limits of normal values (bpm)
newborns (up to 1 month of life)	110-170
from 1 month to 1 year	100-160
from 1 year to 2 years	95-155
2-4 years	90-140
4-6 years	85-125
6-8 years	78-118
8-10 years	70-110
10-12 years	60-100
12-15 years	55-95
15-50 years	60-80
50-60 years	65-85
60-80 years	70-90

Thus, according to the table, it can be seen that the normal heart rate in children after a year tends to gradually decrease, a pulse of 100 is not a sign of pathology until almost 12 years of age, and a pulse of 90 until the age of 15. Later (after 16 years), such indicators may indicate the development of tachycardia, the cause of which must be found by a cardiologist.

The normal pulse of a healthy person in the range of 60-80 beats per minute begins to be recorded from approximately 16 years of age. After 50 years, if everything is in order with health, there is a slight increase in heart rate (10 beats per minute over 30 years of life).

Pulse rate helps in diagnosis

Diagnosis by pulse, along with temperature measurement, history taking, and examination, belongs to the initial stages of the diagnostic search. It would be naive to believe that by counting the number of heartbeats, one can immediately detect the disease, but it is quite possible to suspect something is wrong and send the person for examination.

Low or high pulse (below or above acceptable values) often accompanies various pathological processes.

High heart rate

Knowledge of the norms and the ability to use the table will help any person distinguish increased pulse fluctuations caused by functional factors from tachycardia caused by disease. “Strange” tachycardia may be indicated symptoms unusual for a healthy body:

Dizziness, lightheadedness (indicates that cerebral blood flow is impaired);
Chest pain caused by impaired coronary circulation;
Visual disorders;
Autonomic symptoms (sweating, weakness, trembling of limbs).

Causes of rapid pulse and heartbeat can be:

Pathological changes in the heart and vascular pathology (congenital, etc.);
Poisoning;
Chronic bronchopulmonary diseases;
Hypoxia;
Hormonal disorders;
Lesions of the central nervous system;
Oncological diseases;
Inflammatory processes, infections (especially with fever).

In most cases, an equal sign is placed between the concepts of increased pulse and rapid heartbeat, however, this is not always the case, that is, they do not necessarily accompany each other. In some conditions (and,) the number of heart contractions exceeds the frequency of pulse oscillations, this phenomenon is called pulse deficiency. As a rule, pulse deficiency accompanies terminal rhythm disturbances in severe heart damage, the cause of which could be intoxication, sympathomimetics, acid-base imbalance, electric shock, and other pathology involving the heart in the process.

High pulse and blood pressure fluctuations

Pulse and blood pressure do not always decrease or increase proportionally. It would be wrong to think that an increase in heart rate will necessarily lead to an increase in blood pressure and vice versa. There are also options here:

Increased heart rate when normal pressure may be a sign of intoxication, increased body temperature. Folk remedies and medications that regulate the activity of the autonomic nervous system during VSD, antipyretic drugs for fever and medications aimed at reducing the symptoms of intoxication will help reduce the pulse; in general, influencing the cause will remove tachycardia.
Increased heart rate with high blood pressure may be a consequence of various physiological and pathological conditions (inadequate physical activity, severe stress, endocrine disorders, heart and vascular diseases). Tactics of the doctor and the patient: examination, determination of the cause, treatment of the underlying disease.
Low blood pressure and high pulse may become symptoms of a very serious health disorder, for example, a manifestation of development in cardiac pathology or in case of large blood loss, and, the lower the blood pressure and higher the heart rate, the more severe the patient’s condition. It is clear: not only the patient, but also his relatives will not be able to reduce the pulse, the increase of which is caused by these circumstances. This situation requires immediate action (call “103”).

A high pulse that first appears for no reason can be calmed down drops of hawthorn, motherwort, valerian, peony, corvalol (whatever is on hand). A recurrence of an attack should be a reason to visit a doctor, who will find out the cause and prescribe medications that specifically affect this form of tachycardia.

Low heart rate

The causes of low heart rate can also be functional (about athletes, as discussed above, when a low heart rate with normal blood pressure is not a sign of disease), or stem from various pathological processes:

Vagal influences (vagus - vagus nerve), decreased tone of the sympathetic nervous system. This phenomenon can be observed in every healthy person, for example, during sleep (low pulse with normal pressure),
In case of vegetative-vascular dystonia, in the case of some endocrine disorders, that is, in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions;
Oxygen starvation and its local effect on the sinus node;
Myocardial infarction;

Toxic infections, poisoning with organophosphorus substances;
Peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
Traumatic brain injuries, meningitis, edema, brain tumor, ;
Taking digitalis medications;
Side effect or overdose of antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive and other drugs;
Hypofunction of the thyroid gland (myxedema);
Hepatitis, typhoid fever, sepsis.

In the vast majority of cases low pulse (bradycardia) is considered a serious pathology, which requires immediate examination to identify the cause, timely treatment, and sometimes emergency medical care (sick sinus syndrome, atrioventricular block, myocardial infarction, etc.).

Low pulse and high blood pressure - similar symptoms sometimes appear in hypertensive patients taking drugs to lower blood pressure, which are simultaneously prescribed for various rhythm disorders, beta blockers, for example.

Briefly about heart rate measurement

Perhaps, only at first glance it seems that there is nothing simpler than measuring the pulse of yourself or another person. Most likely, this is true if such a procedure is required to be performed on a young, healthy, calm, rested person. You can assume in advance that his pulse will be clear, rhythmic, of good filling and tension. Being confident that most people know the theory well and cope well with the task in practice, the author will allow himself to only briefly recall the technique of measuring pulse.

You can measure the pulse not only on the radial artery; any large artery (temporal, carotid, ulnar, brachial, axillary, popliteal, femoral) is suitable for such a study. By the way, sometimes you can simultaneously detect a venous pulse and very rarely a precapillary pulse (to determine these types of pulses, you need special devices and knowledge of measurement techniques). When determining, we should not forget that in an upright position of the body the heart rate will be higher than in a lying position and that intense physical activity will speed up the heart rate.

To measure pulse:

Usually the radial artery is used, on which 4 fingers are placed (the thumb should be on the back of the limb).
You should not try to catch pulse fluctuations with only one finger - an error is certainly guaranteed; at least two fingers should be used in the experiment.
It is not recommended to put undue pressure on the arterial vessel, since squeezing it will lead to the disappearance of the pulse and the measurement will have to be started again.
It is necessary to measure the pulse correctly within one minute, measuring for 15 seconds and multiplying the result by 4 can lead to an error, because even during this time the pulse frequency can change.

Here is a simple technique for measuring pulse, which can tell you a lot, a lot.

Video: pulse in the program “Live Healthy!”

A small child's heart beats very quickly, at a rate of at least 140 beats per minute. Over the years, the heart rate almost halves. But in old age, the heart begins to beat faster again. Therefore, in order to determine whether the heart is working correctly, it is necessary to know age norms and the reasons why the heart rate (HR) changes over the years.

Why does your heart rate change with age?

In a calm state, the ventricle should push into the aorta in one minute large volume blood. In newborns, the heart is small, weighs only 20-24 g and is capable of pushing no more than 2.5 ml of blood. In an adult, the heart weighs 200-300 g and is capable of pushing 70 ml of blood in one contraction. Therefore, in children it should beat more often.

As cardiac mass increases, the pulse becomes slower. In addition, in children under 7 years of age, the nerve center that regulates the functioning of the heart is just developing, and this contributes to increased heartbeat.

While the child grows and develops, the heart rate also changes. Fine:

If in childhood an increased heart rate is associated with the growth and development of the child, then in old age this occurs due to an irreversible physiological process - aging. Therefore, after 60 years, a heart rate of 90–95 beats per minute is considered normal. Indeed, due to aging, irreversible changes occur in the body in the heart muscle and vascular bed:

The ability of the myocardium to contract decreases due to the fact that the cells are stretched.
The heart can no longer pump the required minimum volume of blood into the aorta.
The number of functioning capillaries decreases. They stretch, become tortuous, and the length of the vascular bed increases significantly.
The vessels become less elastic, and fewer essential substances are transferred through them to the cells.
The sensitivity of receptors to adrenaline increases, and a small amount of it increases heart rate and blood pressure.

The lack of blood circulation caused by all these changes is compensated by an increase in heart rate, and this leads to accelerated wear and tear of the heart. In old age, the ventricles are stretched, sometimes muscle cells are replaced by fat cells, which leads to heart disease. A rapid heartbeat only worsens your health condition.

It is important to know! All diseases of the cardiovascular system have become much younger. If 20 years ago a myocardial infarction at the age of 50 was considered something unusual, now 30-year-old cardiac patients with such a diagnosis no longer surprise anyone. To avoid heart disease, you need to monitor your pulse; if there is the slightest deviation from the norm, you should consult a doctor.

What heart rate is considered normal?

In an adult, the heart rate at rest is 60–80 beats per minute. During physical activity in an untrained person, it increases to 100. This happens because in order to provide the body with the necessary substances, the minute volume of circulating blood must increase. In a trained person, the heart can push through in one contraction required quantity blood into the aorta, so the heart rate does not increase.

Also, the heartbeat increases due to nervous tension. When a person is worried or worried, the sympathetic nervous system is excited, his breathing quickens, and his heart rate increases.

In addition to loads and stress, many factors influence the functioning of the heart:

In women, heart rate may increase due to hormonal changes associated with the menstrual cycle and pregnancy.
In men after 40, if testosterone production is impaired, irreversible changes occur in the heart muscle.
Excess weight leads to the fact that not only the biceps, but also the triceps become flaccid. The smooth muscles of the heart are also replaced by fat cells.
In adolescents, respiratory arrhythmia is considered normal when the pulse quickens when inhaling and slows down when exhaling.
Heart rate increases in various diseases. The pulse quickens with elevated body temperature. Pathologies of the nervous and endocrine systems have a particularly negative effect on the functioning of the heart.
In stuffy rooms, at altitudes, where there is little oxygen, its lack is compensated by an increase in heart rate.
Excessive consumption of caffeine-containing drinks, taking drugs that stimulate heart activity.
Toxins and heavy metal salts negatively affect the functioning of the heart.

Although during exercise a pulse of up to 100 beats per minute is considered normal, such a heart rate has an adverse effect on the heart and leads to the development of:

ventricular hypertrophy;
arrhythmias;
cardiomyopathy;
myocardial infarction;
heart failure.

A heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute also has a negative impact on health. Indeed, in this case, the heart does not distill the required volume of blood, and all organs begin to suffer from a lack of nutrients and oxygen. And this leads to the most various diseases, ranging from dysfunction of the endocrine glands to encephalopathy.

To live long and not get sick, you should take care of yourself and pay attention if your pulse deviates from the norm. And in order for the heart to beat at the required frequency, you need to follow certain rules.

So that the pulse is normal

So that the heart does not wear out before its due date, so that it works rhythmically and correctly, for at least 100 years, nothing special is needed. It is enough to follow simple rules:

To walk outside. This is physical activity, and the body receives the necessary amount of oxygen.
Watch your weight. Obesity is not only caused by poor nutrition, body weight increases with diseases of the endocrine system. The weight of an adult, healthy person can vary within several hundred grams. Weight loss also indicates various pathologies.
Do exercises. Physical activity trains not only the biceps, but also the heart muscle.
Do not smoke, do not abuse alcohol.
You can drink coffee, but only in the first half of the day and in small quantities. Special, small coffee cups invented not only to be covered with dust in the sideboard.

Well, the most important rule.

Our heart can either slow down the frequency of its contractions, or suddenly begin to beat wildly. This is often associated with arrhythmia, a disease typically characteristic of older people. Herbal medicine will effectively help restore the heart to its usual rhythm and support its work.

Why does the pulse change?

When we are young, our heart works like a clock. But often a person does not take care of his heart: he recycles it, including physically, for example, in a garden plot, often in hot weather, gets nervous over trifles, disrupts the daily routine. So it turns out that by the age of 65-70, or even earlier, the heart begins to fail. Then arrhythmia is acquired.

Typically, a therapist diagnoses “arrhythmia” in elderly patients. Arrhythmia is characterized by an abnormal heart rhythm. The normal heart rate (pulse) of an adult is 60-80 beats per minute (bpm). This value is not constant throughout life. In young children, the pulse is increased - from 140 in newborns to 100 beats/min in two-year-old children. Over the years, the heart rate decreases. In adults, it is usually equal to the values that I gave above.

However, deviations from the norm can be in one or the other direction. It has been noticed that the lower the heart rate, the more “economically” the body functions, the more likely a person is to live to an old age and even become a centenarian.

Bradycardia

The condition when the heart rate drops below 55 beats/min is called bradycardia. It can be physiological and pathological. Physiological bradycardia It can occur in absolutely healthy people, for example in athletes, and manifests itself already in youth. Pathological bradycardia observed, as a rule, in people suffering from hypothyroidism. It is often caused by age-related changes in the heart. It occurs with endocarditis, myocarditis, coronary heart disease and its terrible complication - myocardial infarction, as well as with arterial hypertension and increased intracranial pressure. Sometimes bradycardia occurs after illness with viral flu, hepatitis, after severe hypothermia, with an overdose or long-term use of certain medications: beta blockers, such as atenolol, cardiac glycosides, etc.

With moderate physiological bradycardia, the blood supply to the internal organs is not reduced, so the person does not experience discomfort. This condition does not require treatment. However, with a strong degree of pathological bradycardia (pulse rate below 40 beats/min), unpleasant and even dangerous symptoms appear: dizziness, weakness, even loss of consciousness, cold sweat, heart pain, sharp fluctuations in blood pressure. The fact is that a rare heart rate, characteristic of bradycardia, leads to insufficient blood supply to organs and tissues and, as a result, their oxygen starvation, which disrupts the functioning of the body. This is a condition that definitely requires treatment.

First of all, it is necessary to examine the patient: the thyroid gland, heart, etc. to determine the cause of bradycardia and begin to treat the underlying disease. At the same time, it is necessary to increase the heart rate, since with pathological bradycardia, as already mentioned, loss of consciousness is possible, which can lead to serious injuries. Before diagnosis, the following remedies are recommended to increase heart rate.

Pharmacy tincture (extract) of Eleutherococcus senticosus . Take 25-30 drops in a glass of water 2 times a day half an hour before meals (in the first half of the day). The course of treatment is a month.

Attention! Eleutherococcus is contraindicated in stage 1 and 2 hypertension. increased excitability, insomnia.

Scots pine . Pour 100 g of chopped fresh apical branches with needles into 0.5 liters of vodka, leave in the light for 10 days, strain and squeeze out the raw materials. Take 30-40 drops in a glass of water 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals.

Dog-rose fruit . 1 tbsp. pour 1 cup of boiling water over a spoonful of crushed rose hips, bring to a boil, leave for 2-3 hours, strain, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

Yarrow . 1 tbsp. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over a spoonful of herbs, bring to a boil, leave for an hour, strain. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals.

Attention! Take with caution if you have increased blood clotting.

Tachycardia

Tachycardia occurs in older people much more often than bradycardia. It is characterized by an increase in heart rate without disrupting its regularity. This condition can occur both after physical activity and at rest. Sometimes this can be noticed only by measuring the pulse, but often it is accompanied by palpitations, weakness, and dizziness.

An increase in heart rate can be caused by diseases of the heart, nervous or endocrine system, infectious diseases, tumors and some other factors.

Since with tachycardia the heart works under overload, this condition requires treatment, but the cause of this pathology should be found and this particular disease should be treated. But while the examination is underway, try to reduce your heart rate using herbal medicine.

Calendula officinalis . 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of calendula officinalis inflorescences into 0.5 liters of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain. Take ¼ cup of infusion 4 times a day half an hour before meals.

Dill fruits . 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dill fruits with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain. Take ¼ tbsp. infusion 3-4 times a day. The course of treatment is a month.

Valerian officinalis . 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of crushed dry roots into 1 cup of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain. Take 2 tbsp. spoons of infusion 3 times a day half an hour before meals. The course of treatment is 1.5 months. If necessary, the course can be repeated after a two-week break.

Collection. Mix 2 parts Valerian officinalis roots And motherwort herb pentaloba. 1 part each common yarrow herb And anise fruit. 1 tbsp. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over a spoonful of the mixture, leave for an hour, strain. Take 1/3 cup of infusion 3 times a day half an hour before meals. The course of treatment is 2 months.

Hawthorn is blood red. In autumn, hawthorn fruits should be eaten fresh - 10 pieces 2-3 times a day before meals, and dried or frozen for the winter. An infusion is prepared from dried fruits. 1 tbsp. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over a spoonful of crushed hawthorn fruits, keep on low heat for 5-6 minutes, leave for an hour, strain. Take ¼ cup 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals.

Atrial fibrillation

One of the most serious and life-threatening arrhythmias for an elderly person is atrial fibrillation. It is a chaotic contraction of the muscle fibers of the atrium. The contraction frequency can reach 350-600 per minute. There are many causes of atrial fibrillation: cardiovascular diseases (arterial hypertension, congenital heart defects, especially the valves, coronary artery disease, heart failure, pericarditis), as well as chronic lung diseases, hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. A single attack can be triggered by heavy food, alcohol abuse, coffee, constipation, severe stress, excessive squeezing. chest clothing and even insect bites.

Some patients do not feel any discomfort, but more often people feel a strong heartbeat, interruptions in heart function, weakness, sweating, and they experience frequent urination. With a heart rate of about 200 beats/min, dizziness and fainting are possible.

To cure atrial fibrillation, first of all, the pathology that caused it should be identified and treated. However, you should take care of your heart at the same time as the examination to reduce the risk of side effects. The fact is that with atrial fibrillation, when the heart contracts incorrectly, irregularly, the blood stagnates, as a result of which blood clots can form that can provoke a heart attack, ischemic stroke or pulmonary embolism; the spleen or kidneys can also be damaged.

Adonis spring . Pour 1 teaspoon of dry herb into 1 cup of boiling water, keep on low heat for 2-3 minutes, leave, wrapped, for an hour, strain. Take 1 tbsp. spoon of infusion 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is 2-3 weeks.

Attention! Adonis - very poisonous plant, so do not exceed the dosage.

Asparagus officinalis. 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of dry root into 1 cup of boiling water, bring to a boil and keep on low heat for 2 minutes, leave, wrapped, for 2 hours, strain. Take 2 tbsp. spoons of infusion 3 times a day half an hour before meals. The course of treatment is a month.

Onion and apple . 1 head onions and 1 medium-sized apple, grate and mix. Take 2 tbsp. spoons of the mixture 2 times a day between meals. The course of treatment is a month.

Hawthorn. ▪ Take pharmaceutical hawthorn tincture 20 drops in a glass of water 3 times a day 15 minutes before meals.

▪ Pour 2 teaspoons of hawthorn flowers into 1 cup of boiling water, keep on very low heat or a water bath for 15 minutes, leave for an hour, strain and top up the decoction with boiled water to the original volume. Take 0.5 cups of decoction 3 times a day half an hour before meals.

▪ Mix 25 ml of pharmaceutical tinctures of hawthorn, motherwort and valerian in a jar, let the mixture stand for a day. Take 1 teaspoon of the mixture in a glass of water 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals. The course of treatment is at least a month.

At the same time, eat foods that reduce blood clotting: onions, garlic, ginger, cranberries and cranberry juice, lemons, nuts (except walnuts, which increase blood clotting), figs, red grapes and red grape wine, raspberry, cherry and plum jam, fresh mushrooms , fat sea fish, seaweed, vegetable oil, cocoa, dark chocolate,

For all types of arrhythmia, as well as for their prevention, the recommendations are exactly the same:

▪ monitor your cholesterol level and if it increases, try to reduce it by reducing the proportion fatty foods in diet: fatty meat, butter, sour cream and high-fat milk, smoked meats;

▪ refuse bad habits: smoking and consumption of strong alcohol (dry red grape wine 50 g per day is not prohibited);

▪ monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar levels, keeping them normal with medications and folk remedies;

▪ try to avoid any stressful factors.

Dina BALYASOVA, Candidate of Biological Sciences Magazine “60 years is not age”

Diseases of the elderly

The following diseases are more common in old age.

Arterial hypertension- a stable increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg. Art. In the development of arterial hypertension, genetic factors and factors play a leading role external environment. External risk factors include: age over 55 years in men. age over 65 years in women, smoking, elevated cholesterol levels above 6.5 mmol/l, unfavorable family history of cardiovascular diseases, microalbuminuria (with concomitant diabetes), glucose sensitivity disorder, obesity, high fibrinogen. inactive lifestyle, high ethnic, socio-economic, geographical risk.

In old age, arterial hypertension occurs more often as a result of atherosclerotic damage to blood vessels (the aorta, coronary arteries, and cerebral arteries are most often affected).

Atherosclerotic hypertension is distinguished - this is hypertension in elderly patients, in which predominantly systolic blood pressure increases, while diastolic blood pressure remains at a normal level, which leads to a large difference between systolic and diastolic pressure. An increase in systolic blood pressure with normal diastolic pressure is explained by the presence of atherosclerosis in large arteries. When the aorta and arteries are affected by atherosclerosis, they become insufficiently elastic and, to some extent, lose the ability to stretch during systole and compress during diastole. Therefore, when measuring blood pressure, we record big difference between systolic and diastolic pressure, for example 190 and 70 mmHg. Art.

In the classification of arterial hypertension, there are 111 degrees of increased blood pressure.

I degree: blood pressure numbers 140-159/90-99 mmHg. Art.

II degree: blood pressure numbers 160-179/100-109 mmHg. Art.

III degree: blood pressure numbers above 180/110 mm Hg. Art.

Clinic

When blood pressure rises, patients experience headaches, dizziness, there may be tinnitus, and “fly spots” before the eyes. However, it should be noted that intense headache, accompanied by dizziness, nausea, and tinnitus, is observed with a significant increase in blood pressure and may be a manifestation of a hypertensive crisis. Patients may also be bothered by rapid heartbeat (usually sinus tachycardia), various types of pain in the heart area.

In elderly patients with atherosclerotic hypertension, objective symptoms such as headache, dizziness are not detected. Basically, complaints arise with a significant increase in blood pressure numbers.

Often, elderly and senile patients do not experience unpleasant symptoms with a significant increase in blood pressure; patients can feel well even with blood pressure of 200 and 110 mm Hg. Art. The diagnosis of arterial hypertension in such patients is often made when high blood pressure is accidentally detected (during a medical examination, hospitalization for another disease). Many of them believe that the absence of unpleasant sensations during high blood pressure speaks of a benign course of the disease. This belief is completely wrong. Such a latent (hidden) course of arterial hypertension leads to the fact that a person, without experiencing painful, painful symptoms, has no incentive to be examined and treated, as a result, antihypertensive therapy for such patients is started late or not at all. It has now been proven that the risk of developing vascular accidents (myocardial infarction, acute cerebrovascular accident, thromboembolism) in such patients is much higher than in people with normal blood pressure numbers.

Features of measuring blood pressure in elderly patients: elderly people may have a pronounced thickening of the wall of the brachial artery due to the development of an atherosclerotic process in it. Therefore, it is necessary to create a higher level of pressure in the cuff to compress the sclerotic artery. As a result, a false increase in blood pressure figures occurs, the so-called pseudohypertension.

The phenomenon of pseudohypertension is detected by the Osler maneuver; for this, blood pressure in the brachial artery is measured by palpation and auscultation. If the difference is more than 15 mm Hg. Art. This means that the phenomenon of pseudohypertension has been confirmed. True blood pressure in such patients can only be measured using an invasive method.

Elderly people may also experience orthostatic hypotension, so their blood pressure should be measured while lying down.

Arterial hypertension requires constant treatment. regularly taking medications. Patients with hypertension are primarily shown an active motor regimen and a balanced diet. compliance with the work and rest regime, control of body weight, cessation of alcohol and smoking. Consumption of table salt per day is no more than 4-6 g.

In the treatment of arterial hypertension, various groups of drugs are used, mainly ACE inhibitors (captopril, enalapril, Prestarium, losinopril), diuretics (hypothiazide, furosemide, indapamide), beta blockers (atenolol, anaprilin, egilok, concor), diuretics (furosemide, hypothiazide, indapamide), sedatives (valerian, passifit, afobazole). A combination of these groups of drugs is often used. Arterial hypertension in elderly patients lasts a long time, but is more benign than hypertension at a young age.

Angina pectoris is one of the most common forms of coronary heart disease. The main symptom is the typical pain of angina pectoris - this is a pressing, squeezing pain behind the sternum that occurs with little physical activity (walking 200-1000 m, depending on the functional class), relieved with rest or with sublingual administration of nitroglycerin after 3-5 minutes. This pain can radiate under the left shoulder blade, into the shoulder, or jaw. Such coronary pain occurs when there is insufficient oxygen supply to the heart muscle, when the need for it is increased (for example, during physical exertion, emotional stress). An attack of angina may also occur when walking in cold, windy weather or when drinking a cold drink. Usually the patient knows about the load under which an angina attack occurs: how far he can walk, what floor he can climb to. Such patients should always carry nitrate-containing medications with them.

You should also remember about the so-called unstable angina, in which an attack of chest pain can dramatically change its character: the distance that the patient can walk without pain will decrease, the previously effective nitroglycerin will no longer work, or its dose will have to be increased to relieve the pain. The most dangerous thing is when pain begins to appear at night. Unstable angina is always regarded as a pre-infarction condition, and such a patient requires immediate hospitalization in a hospital. In case of severe pain syndrome, the patient should be given nitroglycerin under the tongue; you should not give the patient several tablets at once or give them continuously: you should give 1-2 tablets, wait 10-15 minutes, then another one, wait again 10-15 minutes, etc. d. Large doses of nitroglycerin can be given only by monitoring blood pressure - it should not decrease.

Prolonged course of angina pectoris, inadequate treatment or its absence can subsequently lead to the development of heart failure and myocardial infarction.

You need to know that not all pain in the heart can be of angina origin. Often, elderly patients experience widespread pain to the left of the sternum, which is constant, aching in nature, and worsens with certain movements. By palpating along the ribs or spine, painful points can be identified. Such pain is characteristic of osteochondrosis. intercostal neuralgia, myositis. Sometimes they get worse due to colds. Such pain is well treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (for example, diclofenac, ibuprofen). Sometimes chest pain appears after a heavy meal, after the eater has gone to bed. Such pain may occur due to bloating (Remgelt syndrome) and associated tension in the diaphragm. Also, in the elderly, a diaphragmatic hernia occurs quite often, when the esophageal opening of the diaphragm expands and, in a horizontal position, part of the stomach moves into the chest cavity. There is pain that goes away in an upright position. Patients may sleep half-sitting due to pain.

In menopausal women, along with typical symptoms, such as a feeling of a rush of heat to the face, a feeling of goosebumps crawling in the limbs, a feeling of anxiety, unmotivated bouts of trembling, various types of pain in the heart area may also occur. Usually they are not associated with physical activity, but on the contrary, they often occur at rest, can bother you for quite a long time, and do not go away for hours. Valocordin, Corvalol, and valerian usually help relieve these pains, while taking nitroglycerin has no effect on them.

Treatment of angina pectoris mainly involves taking a group of drugs such as nitrates. Nitrates include nitroglycerin, nitrosorbide, and erinite. Taking these drugs may cause severe headache To reduce this unpleasant side effect, nitrates are taken together with validol. Also used for treatment are drugs that lower cholesterol levels - statins (these include Vazilip, atorvastatin), drugs that reduce blood viscosity - anticoagulants (aspirin, thromboass, cardiomagnyl).

Heart failure- a pathological condition caused by weakness of the contractile activity of the heart and failure to ensure adequate blood circulation. Heart failure is usually a secondary condition that complicates primary damage to the heart, blood vessels, or other organs. The causes of heart failure are the following diseases: ischemic heart disease, cardiac malformations, arterial hypertension, myocarditis, dystrophic changes in the myocardium, myocardiopathy, diffuse lung diseases.

On initial stages In heart failure, the heart's ability to relax is impaired, diastolic dysfunction occurs, and the chamber of the left ventricle is less filled with blood, which leads to a decrease in the volume of blood ejected by the ventricle. However, at rest the heart copes, the blood volume compensates for the needs. During physical activity, when the heart rate increases, the total output of blood decreases, and the body begins to starve of oxygen. and the patient develops weakness and shortness of breath during any physical activity. Heart failure is characterized by a decrease in the patient's tolerance to normal physical activity.

There are acute and chronic heart failure.

Acute left ventricular failure develops against the background of a load on the left ventricle (arterial hypertension, aortic defects, myocardial infarction can lead to this) and in the presence of a provoking factor, such as physical and emotional stress, infections.

Clinically, acute left ventricular failure manifests itself in the form of cardiac asthma or pulmonary edema.

Cardiac asthma develops acutely, manifested by increasing shortness of breath, feeling of lack of air, suffocation. In addition to these symptoms, a cough may appear with the discharge of first light sputum, and then streaks of blood may appear in it. On auscultation, harsh breathing is heard in the lungs, and moist fine bubbling rales are heard in the lower parts. The patient sits in bed with his legs down - this position facilitates the patient’s condition due to the unloading of the pulmonary circulation. If left untreated and the disease progresses, pulmonary edema may develop.

Pulmonary edema can develop not only with left ventricular failure, but also with pneumonia, the appearance of foreign bodies in the bronchi, and a sharp decrease in atmospheric pressure. Pulmonary edema is an acute condition requiring emergency care, since the symptoms develop so rapidly that an unfavorable outcome can occur quite quickly. Suddenly, often at night, against the background of an attack of angina pectoris, the patient experiences severe shortness of breath (even suffocation), a dry cough appears, which quickly gives way to a wet one with the release of foamy, bloody sputum. The patient takes a forced semi-sitting or sitting position, lowering his legs, resting his hands on the bed, chair, auxiliary muscles participate in breathing. General excitement sets in, and a feeling of fear of death appears. The skin becomes cyanotic. In the lungs, moist rales of various sizes are heard in all fields, the frequency of respiratory movements increases to 40-45 respiratory movements per minute.

The course of pulmonary edema is always severe, the prognosis is very serious. Even with positive result With treatment, relapse of the condition is always possible.

In the treatment of acute left ventricular failure, sublingual administration of nitroglycerin tablets 10 mg every 10 minutes is used, blood pressure monitoring, intravenous administration of narcotic painkillers (1-2 ml of 1% morphine), intravenous administration of diuretics (2.0-8.0 ml) are required. 1% solution of furosemide), intravenous administration of cardiac glycosides, it is preferable to administer strophanthin or korglykon in small doses (0.25-0.5 ml of 0.05% solution), combining them with potassium and magnesium preparations to improve metabolism in myocardium.

Chronic heart failure develops gradually, often its causes are arterial hypertension, coronary artery disease, and aortic defects.

The clinical picture of chronic heart failure has three stages.

In stage I, general symptoms predominate: weakness, fatigue, increasing shortness of breath, increased heart rate during physical activity. Acrocyanosis may occur at times. The size of the liver does not change. All these phenomena go away on their own after cessation of physical activity.

In stage II, all symptoms begin to appear with less physical activity: shortness of breath increases, tachycardia increases, and a dry cough may appear. Local symptoms appear (acrocyanosis), swelling is observed lower limbs, which do not go away by the morning, swelling may subsequently increase (up to the development of anasarca - the presence of fluid in all cavities: ascites, hydrothorax, hydropericardium). The liver increases in size and becomes dense. Moist fine bubbling rales are heard in the lungs. When the condition decompensates, patients are in a forced position: sitting in bed with their legs down.

In stage III (final, dystrophic), against the background of pronounced total congestive insufficiency, severe irreversible changes develop in internal organs with dysfunction and decompensation. Kidney and liver failure develop.

Non-drug treatment consists of limiting physical activity and correcting water and electrolyte metabolism. Bed rest and restriction of fluid intake and table salt are required. Daily diuresis should be taken into account; the patient should keep a diary recording the amount of fluid drunk and excreted. When determining the volume of liquid drunk per day, it is necessary to take it into account in all products taken by the patient.

At drug treatment necessary:

Treat the underlying disease that led to CHF (etiological therapy);

Strengthen the reduced contractile function of the left ventricle (cardiac glycosides);

Reduce the increased volume of circulating blood (diuretics, vasodilators);

Eliminate or reduce peripheral edema and congestion in internal organs (diuretics);

Reduce blood pressure (ACE inhibitors);

Reduce heart rate (beta blockers, cardiac glycosides, verapamil);

Improve metabolic processes in the myocardium, increasing its contractility (potassium, magnesium, riboxin).

Heart rhythm disturbances

Among all rhythm disorders, especially often in old age, atrial fibrillation and complete blockade of the conduction system of the heart are observed. These two rhythm disturbances are dangerous and can lead to severe complications, which in turn can lead to death. Atrial fibrillation can occur at any age, but its frequency increases with age, but complete blockade of the conduction system of the heart is exclusively a disease of old age.

Atrial fibrillation- This is frequent irregular activity of the atria. It occurs when electrical impulses emanating from the pacemaker in the right atrium begin to wander through the conduction system of the heart, add up or cancel each other out, and chaotic contractions of individual groups of atrial fibers occur with a frequency of 100-150 beats per minute. This pathology occurs more often with organic damage to the heart: cardiosclerosis. cardiomyopathy, heart defects, coronary heart disease. The occurrence of atrial fibrillation can also occur when additional conduction bundles are detected (this is a congenital defect, usually recognized at a relatively young age).

When the conduction system of the heart is completely blocked, the impulse from the atrium does not reach the ventricle. This leads to the fact that the atria contract in their own rhythm, and the ventricles - in their own, much more rare than usual. At the same time, the heart stops responding by increasing contractions in response to demand (for example, during physical activity).

Atrial fibrillation can be constant and paroxysmal.

The paroxysmal form is characterized by the fact that against the background of some provoking factor (such as physical activity, emotional stress) an attack of frequent arrhythmic heartbeat occurs. At this moment, the patient subjectively feels a feeling of interruptions in the functioning of the heart, shortness of breath, weakness, and sweating. Such an attack can pass either independently at rest or when taking medications - in this case, sinus rhythm is restored. Also, in some cases, you can try to eliminate the attack by pressing hard on the eyeballs or painfully massaging the supraclavicular area, quickly squatting the patient. Such techniques can have a positive effect on cardiac activity (up to the disappearance of arrhythmia).

The permanent form of arrhythmia is characterized by the presence of a constant arrhythmic heartbeat; sinus rhythm is not restored in this form. In this case, they ensure that the rhythm is not rapid - no more than 80-90 beats per minute. With a permanent form of atrial fibrillation, the patient always feels interruptions in the work of the heart, shortness of breath during physical exertion. When examining the pulse, pulse waves of different contents and non-rhythmic ones are determined. If you compare the pulse rate and heart rate, you can identify the difference between them in the direction of increasing the heart rate. This phenomenon is called “pulse deficiency” and determines the ineffectiveness of some of the heart contractions - the chambers of the heart do not have time to fill with blood, and an empty “pop” occurs; accordingly, not all contractions are carried out to the peripheral vessels.

A long-term course of a constant form of atrial fibrillation leads to the progression of heart failure.

In the treatment of atrial fibrillation, cardiac glycosides are used: corglycon, digoxin; beta blockers: atenolol, concor; cordarone isoptin, etacizin.

With a complete blockade of the cardiac pathways, blood pressure suddenly decreases, the heart rate decreases to 20-30 beats per minute, and symptoms of heart failure increase. Patients with newly diagnosed complete heart block require mandatory hospitalization, since in this case the development of myocardial infarction can be missed. Currently, the treatment of this pathology consists of installing an artificial pacemaker for the patient, which, by generating electrical discharges through a wire inserted into the heart through a vein, stimulates heart contractions. An artificial pacemaker is sewn into the patient for 5-8 years. Such a patient should be kept away from areas with high magnetic fields(industrial transformers, high-voltage power lines, use of radiotelephones and cellular communications, etc.), it can “interfere” with the reception of radio and television broadcasts if it is close to the antenna.

Chronical bronchitis is an inflammatory diffuse lesion of the bronchial tree. The causes of bronchitis are viral and bacterial infections, exposure to toxic substances, and smoking. In old age, smokers are more likely to suffer from chronic bronchitis.

Chronic bronchitis, like any chronic disease, occurs with periods of remission and exacerbation, which occurs more often in the cold season. During the period of exacerbation of the disease, the patient is bothered by a cough (dry or with sputum discharge), shortness of breath when walking, an increase in temperature to low-grade levels, weakness, and sweating. On auscultation, hard breathing and dry rales are heard throughout all fields of the lungs. The constant course of chronic bronchitis, the lack of adequate treatment, and the presence of a constant irritating factor subsequently lead to the development of emphysema, pneumosclerosis, and the development of cor pulmonale.

In treatment, first of all, irritating and provoking factors should be excluded. The patient needs bed rest. Apply the following groups medications: antibacterial drugs, expectorants (mucaltin, bromhexine), herbal decoctions (chest collection No. 3, 4), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, ortafen, nise).

Often, a long course of chronic bronchitis leads to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The disease is characterized by the presence of shortness of breath, dry paroxysmal painful cough. After the sputum is discharged, the patient's condition improves and it becomes easier for him to breathe. Locally, acrocyanosis can be noted, often the color of the skin has an earthy tint, fingers in the form of drumsticks and nails in the form of watch glasses. On auscultation, such patients can hear hard breathing, dry wheezing in all fields, and prolonged exhalation.

In the treatment of such patients, antibacterial drugs, expectorants, inhalation of Berodual, salbutamol, and inhaled glucocorticosteroids are used. Often such patients are prescribed oral glucocorticosteroids.

Play a major role in the treatment of respiratory diseases physiotherapy. hardening, physiotherapy.

Elderly people should be protected from drafts, but the room in which elderly patients are located should be well ventilated, and regular cleaning should be carried out in it. wet cleaning. Such patients should take walks more often - they need to be in the fresh air for 30-40 minutes every day.

Diabetes- a disease characterized by impaired absorption of blood glucose by cells, resulting in progressive damage to large and small vessels. There are types I and II diabetes; it is typical for older people diabetes Type II. Type II diabetes mellitus occurs as a result of exposure to many factors on the body, including smoking, alcoholism, and severe stress.

Patients with diabetes mellitus experience itching of the genitals, thirst, they begin to drink a lot of liquid, polydipsia (patients eat a lot), polyuria (patients excrete a lot of urine) also occurs. However, in older patients, not all of these symptoms are pronounced. Accurate diagnostic criteria for the development of diabetes mellitus in a patient are the identification high level blood glucose (above 6.0 mmol/l) in a biochemical blood test and in a glycemic profile study, as well as the presence of sugar in a general urine test.

In the treatment of diabetes mellitus great importance has a diet that excludes sugar and foods containing carbohydrates. Patients are recommended to use sugar substitutes - saccharin and aspartame. Regular blood glucose testing is necessary in the clinic or at home.

Patients are prescribed glucose-lowering drugs: glibenclamide, maninil. In severe cases, when correction of blood sugar levels with hypoglycemic drugs is impossible, insulin administration is prescribed during operations.

The presence of diabetes mellitus in an elderly patient always complicates the course of coronary heart disease and arterial hypertension. Since diabetes mellitus affects small and large vessels, the sensitivity in such patients is reduced, and the clinical course of many diseases is not so typical, more blurred. For example, myocardial infarction in such patients may occur with less intense pain. This can lead to untimely provision of medical care and death of the patient.

In diabetes mellitus, a hypoglycemic state may develop. which can lead to coma, and hyperglycemic coma.

With hypoglycemia, the patient experiences a feeling of anxiety, trembling throughout the body, and a feeling of hunger. He becomes covered in cold sweat, weakness and confusion appear. In this condition, the patient needs to give a piece of sugar under the tongue, this will improve his well-being. In a hyperglycemic state, the glycemic level is corrected by careful administration of insulin under the control of blood sugar testing.

With long-term diabetes mellitus, patients develop vascular damage to the lower extremities - diabetic angiopathy of the lower extremities. This disease initially leads to cold feet and legs, a feeling of numbness in the limbs, and pain when walking, which goes away as soon as the person stops (“intermittent claudication”). Subsequently, the sensitivity of the skin of the lower extremities decreases, pain appears at rest, ulcers and necrosis occur on the legs and feet. If left untreated, ischemic damage to the lower limb ends in leg amputation.

Damage to small vessels that supply nerve endings leads to loss of sensitivity in the skin of the legs, disturbances in its nutrition, and the development of “diabetic foot.” At the same time, the patient does not feel pain from small wounds and abrasions on the skin, which turn into long-term non-healing ulcers. In combination with or without ischemia of the lower extremities, “diabetic foot” can cause amputation.

For the treatment of diabetic foot, Plavike and Vasoprostan are used.

Proper foot care is also necessary. You should wash your feet every day with warm water and soap, wear warm cotton socks without elastic. Feet should be protected from hypothermia, wear comfortable, soft, loose shoes, carefully observe safety when cutting nails, entrust it to a partner or caregiver, and treat nail beds with iodine solution. For scuffs, you need to use various creams.

Chronic pyelonephritis- nonspecific infection kidney affecting the renal parenchyma. The occurrence of the disease in old age is facilitated by the presence of urolithiasis and prostate adenoma. diabetes mellitus, poor genital hygiene. The disease takes a long time, with periods of remission and exacerbation. During the period of exacerbation, low-grade fever, dull aching pain in the lumbar region, and frequent painful urination appear. In elderly patients, the disease may occur without severe fever, and sometimes mental changes occur - anger, irritability.

In the treatment of pyelonephritis, antibacterial drugs, uroseptics, and renal herbal preparations are used. Such patients need to avoid hypothermia and maintain personal hygiene.

Chronic renal failure occurs as a result of a long course of chronic diseases of the urinary system (pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, prostate adenoma), diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or as a result of aging of the body (sclerotic changes occur in the vessels of the kidneys).

This disease is characterized by the replacement of nephrons connective tissue, as a result of which the kidneys can no longer function adequately, their functions progressively deteriorate.

At the onset of the disease, patients experience weakness, polyuria, nocturia, and anemia may be detected. Long time the only symptom of chronic renal failure There may be a persistent increase in blood pressure numbers.

The disease is diagnosed by a biochemical blood test, which reveals elevated levels of urea and creatinine, and by urine testing, which reveals the presence of protein and a decrease in the relative density of urine.

If patients have arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus without adequate treatment, or an infectious process, chronic renal failure begins to progress quite quickly. Patients experience severe weakness, nausea, vomiting, unbearable skin itching, and sleep disturbances. There is a significant decrease in urine output, hyperhydration develops, anemia, azotemia, and hyperkalemia increase. Patients develop symptoms of heart failure: shortness of breath and tachycardia increase. Patients have characteristic appearance: the skin is yellowish-pale in color, dry, with traces of scratching, severe swelling. Further progression of the disease can lead to the development of uremic coma.

In the treatment of chronic renal failure, hemodialysis using an artificial kidney machine is used. However, this method of treatment is quite expensive; elderly patients have difficulty with hemodialysis. Therefore, at present, conservative treatment methods are most often used for elderly and senile patients. First of all, it is necessary to treat those diseases that can lead to the development of chronic renal failure. arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic pyelonephritis, prostate adenoma. Early detection of these diseases and adequate treatment are very important. Such patients should be observed in the clinic at their place of residence and undergo regular examinations to adjust therapy.

To reduce the progression of renal failure, ACE inhibitors (enalapril, captopril, fosinopril), antiplatelet agents (Plavika), sorbents (enterosgel, polyphepan) are used. Also used in treatment are keto analogues of amino acids (ketosteril) up to 8-12 tablets per day, activated carbon up to 10 g per day or enterodesis 5-10 g per day. It is important to follow a diet with limited salt and protein (reduced consumption of meat and fish), with sufficient fluid under mandatory control of diuresis and carbohydrates. All this allows you to improve the patient’s quality of life, and often extend the patient’s life for several years.

Chronic cholecystitis is an inflammatory disease of the gallbladder wall. This disrupts the ability of the gallbladder to contract and secrete bile necessary for normal digestion. As a result, stones can form in the lumen of the gallbladder - cholelithiasis. The causes of the development of cholecystitis can be: bacterial infections, viruses, possibly toxic or allergic in nature, and sometimes unhealthy diet.

The disease occurs with periods of remission and exacerbation, expressed by the presence of pain in the right hypochondrium after physical activity, errors in diet (eating fried, salted, smoked foods), nausea, and a feeling of bitterness in the mouth. When the bile ducts are blocked by a stone, sharp paroxysmal pain occurs in the right hypochondrium, similar to hepatic colic, and yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes may appear - in this case, surgical treatment is necessary.

In the treatment of uncomplicated cholecystitis, antibacterial drugs, antispasmodics, and anticholinergic drugs are used. You should also follow a diet excluding alcohol, fried, fatty, salty, and spicy foods.

BPH- benign neoplasm of the prostate gland. Occurs in men over 50 years of age, the disease is based on age-related changes hormonal levels, resulting in the proliferation of prostate tissue with impaired bladder emptying.

Patients complain of frequent urination in small portions, urination at night, and urinary incontinence may subsequently occur.

Previously, only surgical treatment of the disease was practiced. Currently, there are drugs that can reduce the size of the prostate without surgery. The most widely used are dalfaz and omnic - these drugs reduce spasm of the urinary tract and in this way eliminate the main signs of the disease. When used, there may be a decrease in blood pressure, so they are not recommended or taken in small doses when blood pressure is low.

Deforming osteoarthritis- a group of joint diseases. Caused by damage to articular cartilage, its thinning, proliferation bone tissue, pain in the affected joint. Factors contributing to the occurrence of deforming osteoarthritis in old age are obesity, occupational stress on the joint, and endocrine disorders.

The disease progresses gradually. Initially, patients experience rapid muscle fatigue and pain in the joints after exercise, a slight crunch in the joints when moving, and slight morning stiffness. As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more pronounced, limitation of movement in the joint increases, joint deformities and muscle atrophy appear. The joints of the spine, lower extremities, and interphalangeal joints are most often affected. In the area of the distal interphalangeal joints, dense formations appear that deform the joint (Heberden's nodes), the joint increases in volume and takes on a fusiform shape (Bouchard's nodes). When the spine is damaged, local pain appears with symptoms of radiculitis and stiffness.

The treatment uses therapeutic exercises and massage. diet to correct body weight. To relieve pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used: Nise, Movalis, diclofenac. Kenalog and hydrocortisone are also injected into the joint.

Physiotherapy is widely used.

Allapinin for ventricular tachycardia

Wed, 20/02/2013 — 17:54

Tachycardia occurs quite often in older people, and it also occurs in young people. Recently, ventricular tachycardia has especially worried my father; he is an elderly man, but suffers from hypotension, i.e. low blood pressure. Many drugs for treating ventricular tachycardia also reduce blood pressure. But there is a drug that does not lower blood pressure - this allapinin. domestic Russian drug.

The scope of application of this drug is quite narrow, it is due to its antiarrhythmic effect: these are paroxysmal phenomena in the heart, congenital disorders of the rhythm and number of heart contractions, ventricular tachycardia.

Allapinin's instructions describe in detail the possible methods and forms of using allapinin. It is available in the form of tablets, injections, intramuscular and intravenous. If the tablets can be taken at home, then for intravenous injections the father was offered to visit a day hospital, since if there is insufficient blood circulation (he also suffers from this), adverse reactions are possible, and the patient’s condition needs to be monitored. Intravenous injections do not act instantly, but they have a long-lasting effect.

There are not many side effects; if dizziness and double vision begin, you need to reduce the dose of the drug. But still, before use, we always study all possible contraindications. Among them are too low blood pressure (systolic below 90 mm), glucose and fructose intolerance, children's and adolescence. Pregnancy and lactation, serious dysfunction of the liver or kidneys, electrolyte metabolism disorders, post-infarction cardiosclerosis and others.

Drug analogues - Lappaconitine hydrobromide, Ethmozin (tablets and solution for intramuscular and intravenous injections). The latter has more side effects and contraindications, as can be seen from the annotations, so it is used, especially for such elderly people, strictly in a hospital under supervision.

When I was looking more information about this drug, I found out that it is made from a familiar plant - aconite or fighter. Caution in use is due precisely to the fact that aconite is a poisonous plant; the necessary alkaloids are isolated from it, which have an antiarrhythmic effect. You can prepare a tincture of fighter (monkshood) yourself, or even buy it at a pharmacy. But the instructions for the tincture do not mention ventricular tachycardia, mainly an analgesic and sedative effect. If we decide to replace allapinin with aconite tincture, be sure to consult with a cardiologist, since herbal extract and tincture are not exactly the same thing, the dosage may be different depending on age and problem.

U modern man in old age, two main problems appear - either arrhythmias or hypotension.

The appearance of a particular disease depends only on the individual parameters of the body and on concomitant diseases.

A normal heart rate in an elderly person should be between 60 and 90 beats per minute.

Due to bradycardias that occur with age, blood pressure drops, causing hypotension, that is, the pressure becomes less than 120/70 millimeters of mercury.

Causes of low heart rate in the elderly

The reasons for the development of hypotension in the elderly include the following factors:

Various surgical interventions;
Bed rest;
Serious illnesses;
Long-term use of medications that, as a secondary effect, lower general blood pressure.

With physiological hypotension, either diastolic or systolic pressure decreases, and the appearance of pathological hypotension is most often to blame for diseases of the cardiovascular system, which occur with age.

What heart rate is considered low?

The pulse is considered low when its values go below 60 beats per minute, that is, a person experiences bradycardia and, as a result, due to the weak and small output of the heart, the pressure drops.

Possible reasons low pressure in people:

Damage to various endocrine glands in the body;
Hidden bleeding. In men, the cause is most often a peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum, and in women it characterizes gynecological diseases;
Neurocirculatory hypotension is the incorrect or erroneous functioning of nerve cells in the vasomotor nuclei of the brain.

Physiological hypotension differs from pathological hypotension in a number of signs. Let's consider the main ones: hypotension begins at an early age and remains for life; poor health haunts a person only in the morning, and over time he begins to get used to the manifestations and fight them.

Why is low heart rate dangerous?

Incomplete filling of the heart, or its incomplete emptying, threatens not only low blood pressure, but also various diseases that arise from these reasons, for example, ischemic stroke.

With hypotension, a person’s vision may become dark due to a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain; orientation in space may be lost, which is why the patient may fall without losing consciousness. This is very dangerous for older people, and fainting can also occur.

The main symptoms of hypotension: numbness of the limbs, nausea, fear, attacks of suffocation, cold hands and feet. The most serious complication is hypotensive crisis.

Treatment for low heart rate

The basic principles of treatment are based on the use of cardiac stimulants or drugs that increase blood pressure.

Such drugs include strophanthin, ascorbic acid, dobutamine, green tea tablets, camphor and norepinephrine.

For prevention, you should follow some rules:

Sleep well and get enough sleep, do at least a little exercise in the morning;
Take a contrast shower, but within reason;
Be in the fresh air more often and walk (if possible);
Having a full breakfast is generally good, and the diet should be very varied and rich in microelements;
Use tinctures or decoctions of various medicinal herbs that raise vascular tone and normalize blood pressure, for example tinctures of ginseng, eleutherococcus, hawthorn, valerian, Rhodiola rosea, lemon balm tea and other adaptogens.

How to increase low heart rate in an elderly person?

As an emergency aid for hypotensive patients, an intravenous solution of caffeine-sodium benzoate or an ephedrine solution should be used, which will quickly and qualitatively increase blood pressure.

Prevention of hypotension includes the use of substances containing caffeine (tea, coffee, cocoa), but in no case should they be abused, as this can lead to a stronger decrease in blood pressure, and as a result, the development of collapse and shock.

Conclusion

Although the problem of hypotension is very acute in our time, in fact, this disease can be cured or quickly stopped.

This condition also has very simple prevention, requiring only simple self-control and actions from the patient, which will subsequently help improve the patient’s quality of life and improve the future prognosis.

All you have to do is consult a doctor in time or help a person who has become ill on the street.

Self-medication in this case is completely unacceptable, because the heart is too precise and autonomous a mechanism, which needs well-developed and precise treatment so that medications do not later cause any complications on the heart muscle itself.

Video: What heart rate is considered normal and what is considered dangerous to health?

There is a rule: with every 10 years of age you need to add 5-10 beats per minute to your normal heart rate. This happens because as we age, blood vessels wear out and become less elastic, so the heart needs to pump more to pump all the blood.

How do you know if your heart rate is low?

If you haven't measured your heart rate and don't know whether your heart rate is low or high, here is a small list of symptoms that clearly indicate that your heart rate is low:

frequent dizziness
there are coordination problems
headache
drowsiness
irresistible fatigue
numbness in fingertips
pale skin
pain behind the sternum on the left side, a feeling of heaviness in this place

Having discovered at least three of these signs, you still need to measure your pulse and blood pressure. And do it regularly. All of the above signs indicate that some kind of heart pathology is progressing.

This will help you identify it:

blood test (better detailed)

People over 50 years old should include in their plans a regular (at least once a year) consultation with a cardiologist and an electrocardiogram.

However, a decrease in heart rate can occur not only due to cardiac pathology.

Causes of low heart rate

Why can low heart rate occur in any person who does not suffer from heart disorders? Because the human pulse, which is directly related to the contractility of the heart, reacts very subtly to any changes, both in the body and to external stimuli.

For example, a low heart rate is typical and normal when you:

got hypothermic
are under stress
overtired
suffer from infectious diseases
taking medications to reduce high blood pressure incorrectly
poisoned by heavy metals
just got out of bed

Like all problems with pulse, low pulse is not an independent symptom. This is simply clear evidence that malfunctions and disturbances are occurring in your body.

In older people who have had a heart attack in the past, a low heart rate is considered normal.

It must be remembered that bradycardia (low heart rate) in active older people is not always an indicator of illness. The fact is that for athletes and active people bradycardia is physiological. That is, a trained heart rests on its own during a break from training, as if deliberately slowing down its work.

However, this is not a reason to do nothing; you still need to find out what is causing your decreased pulsation. Is it physiological or does it indicate a disorder?

How to measure your pulse

Let’s make it clear right away that this is an average figure. A person's heart rate may fluctuate throughout the day. The lowest data are in the morning and late evening.

In addition, there may be inaccuracies in the readings if you measure your pulse while lying down. It is best to measure your pulse while sitting or lying down. Measurements must be taken at the same time of day. After counting the number of beats in 30 seconds, you simply multiply them by 2 and get the exact number of your heart beats per minute. And, if, under these conditions, you record during the week, then you should definitely start putting things in order in your body.

How to treat it

Of course, your doctor should prescribe what to take if your heart rate is low. In conditions close to fainting, it is imperative to call an ambulance.

But even before their visit, you can make attempts to normalize your condition.

First, you can make yourself hot, strong black tea with sugar and lemon (if you don’t have lemon in the house, you can do without it). This drink will literally bring you out of your pre-fainting state in just a couple of minutes.
Secondly, if you have seasonings in the house, it will be great to make yourself a so-called masala tea. This tea is prepared on the basis of black tea with the addition of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and ground black pepper. If you take this tea every day, you can avoid many problems with the cardiovascular system.
Thirdly, during a sharp drop in heart rate, you can take a contrast shower.
Fourthly, you can simply lie on your back with your legs straight up. Your feet can be placed on any object so that they are above head level. Then you will ensure a rush of blood to the head, and the attack of dizziness will pass in a few minutes.
Fifthly, you can do light breathing exercises: try to breathe from the bottom of your stomach, hold your breath for a short time and exhale slowly. Do this for at least 5-10 minutes.
And finally, you can simply swing your arms or squat several times while holding onto a chair.

They cope well with problems such as low pulse and heart weakness. In this case, rosehip decoction, tincture of walnut partitions (in alcohol), and honey water work great.

Yarrow, calendula, sage are herbs that will also help you cope with a slow heart rate and a decrease in arterial pulse.

If you have developed a low pulse due to hypertension, then it would be a good idea to take a course of the well-known, good old and inexpensive drug “Corvalol”. It has a hypotensive effect, but at the same time improves the rhythm of the heart.

Don't get too carried away with chemical pharmaceuticals. It is still better to prefer natural remedies. And, of course, this cannot be done without changing habits and lifestyle.