Health problems related to the endocrine system as you get older

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc - General Internal Medicine - Endocrinology - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.
In the elderly, endocrine changes lead to impaired endocrine function related to tissue responsiveness as well as decreased hormone secretion from peripheral glands. All endocrine glands are subject to the effects of aging and many interwoven endocrine functions reduce the function of one gland adversely affecting the other. With aging, the endocrine system weakens including problems such as menopause, male sex hormones, growth hormone, ...

1. Menopause

A common consequence of the hormonal changes associated with aging in women is menopause. Around the age of 50, a woman's ovaries begin to produce reduced amounts of estrogen and progesterone. At this point, the pituitary gland tries to compensate by producing more follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Although menopause is normal and occurs in all women, some symptoms can be uncomfortable or even dangerous.
Some symptoms of menopause such as: hot flashes, vaginal dryness and atrophy leading to pain during intercourse, decreased libido, insomnia, irritability, depression and osteoporosis with a high chance of bone fractures, atherosclerosis blood vessels and increased blood lipids. To treat these symptoms, your doctor may prescribe long-term use of a combination of estrogen or progesterone by mouth.
However, this method has a high risk of causing stroke, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer. Currently, estrogen and progesterone treatments should only be used for short periods of time. And researchers are continuing to investigate the effectiveness and safety of other estrogen and progesterone combination formulations that can be used for longer periods of time.

2. Thyroid and parathyroid gland function affected by aging

With increasing age, changes in thyroid hormone production affect metabolism and several other functions. Specifically, aging involves a decrease in the secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and directing the thyroid gland to produce and release the essential thyroid hormones T3, T4 into the bloodstream. . Here they travel and are used by many target organs and systems. T3, T4 secretion is also reduced when the body is old and weak. This slowly causes a decrease in the body's basal metabolism, which leads to an increase in body fat by reducing the burning of fuel that heats the body. On the other hand, parathyroid hormone PTH increases with age. This may be due to decreased levels of calcium absorbed from food, causing a compensatory increase in parathyroid hormone (parathyroid hormone increases calcium in the blood). However, increased PTH combined with decreased calcitonin (and decreased estrogen in women) can lead to osteoporosis because PTH stimulates bone resorption to increase blood calcium. Therefore, osteoporosis affects both men and women
Due to these changes, there is an increase in the incidence of thyroid disease in the elderly, especially clinical parathyroid disease. This disease is associated with an increased risk of overactive thyroid. For elderly patients diagnosed with overactive hypothyroidism (a decline in the endocrine system in which an underactive thyroid gland is present), treatment remains based on hormone replacement therapy. It is also a treatment for hypothyroidism at any age.

Similarly, the incidence of hyperthyroidism (a weakened endocrine system that causes the thyroid gland to become overactive) is increased in the elderly. Symptoms include digestive problems, cognitive decline, or possibly depression. For elderly patients with hyperthyroidism, the best treatment option is to use radioactive iodine to destroy some of the thyroid tissue so that it produces less thyroid hormone.

3. Reduced testosterone in aging

Testosterone is produced mainly in the testes and is responsible for maintaining male bone density, fat distribution, muscle strength, sex drive, and sperm production. Levels of this hormone decrease with age. In fact, men reach their peak testosterone levels at the age of 30 and decrease by 2% per year after the age of 40.
Problems with male hormone decline often cause problems such as sexual dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction, loss of muscle mass leading to weakness or depression, fatigue greatly affects daily life. In addition, several studies have found low testosterone levels to be associated with increased rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality. However, the decrease in testosterone is more gradual and not as dramatic as the decrease in estrogen in women and rarely affects sperm production until very old age. This means that with age, men's sperm decreases in quantity, quality and motility, but the ability to have children is decades longer than in women.

4. Decreased muscle strength

The disease is defined as age-related low muscle function in the presence of low muscle mass. The incidence of reduced disease varies widely, and up to 13% of patients are between the ages of 60 and 70 years. This condition is responsible for a host of health problems for the elderly, such as broken bones, and susceptibility to injury.
Muscles are supported by the endocrine system. And one of the key endocrine hormones here is that testosterone begins to decline around the age of 30. Another factor that contributes to the loss of muscle strength is growth hormone and insulin. Insulin is an endocrine hormone found in the blood and its main job is to regulate the action of growth hormone. As the body ages, hormones become insufficient and this is a contributing factor to neurological decline. At the same time, the functions of hormones in the endocrine system affect tissue and bone growth.

5. Diabetes

Age also affects sugar metabolism, causing peak blood sugar levels to rise faster and take longer to return to normal glucose levels in the elderly. In addition, impaired glucose tolerance is exacerbated perhaps by a gradual decrease in cellular insulin sensitivity. In the US, 27% of people over the age of 65 have diabetes.
The aging process is an inevitable natural phenomenon, and there is no medicine to prolong life. But we can live a healthy life of old age. That means we can slow or minimize the unwanted consequences of aging by maintaining healthy living habits, thereby maintaining both physical and mental health. .
Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc has more than 10 years of studying, researching and working in the field of endocrinology. Doctor Ngoc graduated with a Master's degree in General Internal Medicine from Hanoi Medical University and studied as a Resident Doctor at the University of Lyon (France). Currently, Dr. Ngoc is a treating doctor at the Department of Examination and Internal Medicine, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

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Articles refer to sources: webmd.com, empoweryourhealth.org, rush.edu