This is an automatically translated article.
The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Pham Van Hung - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Coronary artery disease in the elderly has more potential risks than in young people, not only in symptoms but also in the treatment process. Therefore, the elderly need to perform coronary artery disease screening to detect the disease early and treat it promptly.
1. Aging is a risk factor for coronary heart disease
Elderly people are at high risk of coronary heart disease. According to the Framingham Heart Study, the risk of coronary heart disease in men aged 65-74 increased by 24%. Similarly, the rate in elderly women rises to 28%.Accordingly, the rate of coronary heart disease increases faster in women than in men due to changes in the body after menopause (the phenomenon of menopause increases the risk of disease onset by 3 times compared to men). with pre-menopause).
2. Symptoms of coronary heart disease in the elderly
Coronary heart disease in the elderly is caused by the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, leading to narrowing of the lumen, reduced blood flow to the heart and causing a series of typical symptoms such as:Angina pectoris : The patient feels the pain as if the chest is heavily compressed, the pain can spread to the shoulder, back, neck, jaw, left arm...; Shortness of breath, rapid and rapid breathing; Fatigue all over; Dizziness, dizziness. For the elderly, symptoms of coronary heart disease may change more or less due to the aging process, causing the nervous system to lose sensitivity and the body's physical condition to become weaker. The symptoms of coronary heart disease in the elderly are often not obvious. Sometimes, patients only feel transient signs, such as feeling tired, shortness of breath, slight pain in the chest... On the other hand, these symptoms will usually be relieved with rest, so the patient usually does not feel worried. Therefore, it is quite difficult to detect coronary heart disease in the elderly in the early stages of the disease.
Đau thắt ngực là triệu chứng bệnh mạch vành ở người cao tuổi
3. Difficulty in treating coronary heart disease in the elderly
Although advances in therapies now help control coronary heart disease more effectively, the number of deaths is still increasing, especially in the elderly group. The main reason is that the treatment of coronary heart disease in elderly people often encounters many disadvantages.Easy to encounter side effects when using therapeutic drugs As you get older, organs such as liver and kidneys become weaker and weaker, greatly affecting the rate of drug metabolism. In many cases, the drug cannot be metabolized, leading to an overdose, causing many serious side effects, toxic to the liver and kidneys, and very adversely affecting the treatment results. The risk of bleeding when taking anticoagulants or the risk of increasing liver enzymes when using lipid-lowering drugs is also a difficult problem for doctors when considering the appropriate dosage for the treatment of coronary heart disease in the elderly. age .
High risk when performing stenting or bypass surgery For severe coronary stenosis, the doctor must appoint coronary artery bypass surgery or stenting to promote circulation and perfusion to the area. Myocardium is affected by ischemia. However, for elderly patients, these methods are sometimes not feasible due to poor health prognosis or risks that outweigh the benefits of medical treatment.
Difficulty in drug adherence Elderly people may experience memory loss, confusion, lack of clarity, leading to forgetting to take medication, or taking multiple doses continuously during the day, affecting the effectiveness of treatment or cause undesirable effects.
Người cao tuổi có thể gặp khó khăn trong việc tuân thủ dùng thuốc
4. Elderly people must be screened early for coronary heart disease
The process of treating coronary heart disease in the elderly faces many difficulties. Moreover, the early signs of the disease are often quite faint, leading to late detection of the disease and most patients only intervene in treatment when the disease is at a late stage, making the effectiveness of treatment not high.Therefore, the elderly need to perform screening for coronary heart disease early to be examined and accurately diagnosed with the possibility of disease, thereby having an early treatment plan, minimizing possible complications. happen. The coronary artery disease screening package at Vinmec International General Hospital is the best choice in this case because of the effectiveness, accuracy and reliability that Vinmec has committed.
Master, Doctor Pham Van Hung has 30 years of experience in examination and treatment of internal diseases, especially in Cardiology: coronary arteries, heart failure, heart valves, arrhythmias. ..Master, Dr. Hung used to hold the position of Deputy Head of Cardiology Department and Head of Interventional Cardiology Unit at Da Nang General Hospital and is currently working at Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine, Internal Cardiology, and Cardiology. Interventional circuit at Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.
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