Signs of old age something more serious?
What you think may be normal signs of ageing could be something much more sinister, according to a new study conducted by Rush University Medical School in Chicago. An annual examination of the brains of 1,100 older nuns and priests showed tiny lesions or blocked blood vessels in about 30% of the 418 people who had died.
What you think may be normal signs of ageing could be something much more sinister, according to a new study conducted by Rush University Medical School in Chicago.
An annual examination of the brains of 1,100 older nuns and priests showed tiny lesions or blocked blood vessels in about 30% of the 418 people who had died.
Aged about 88-years-old, the participants showed no signs of brain disease or stroke when alive. However, those who had the hardest time mobility-wise (ie walking) were more likely to have multiple lesions in their brains. When examined after death, two-thirds had at least one blood vessel abnormality in their brain.
Researcher Aron Buchman said “what we think of as normal ageing may not be so normal after all”.
The study observed ‘normal’ signs of ageing which included;: balance, posture, walking speed, ability to get in and out of a chair, ability to turn while walking and dizziness.
People with abnormal muscle function or movement, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, should be assessed by their doctor.
“As people get older, even if they don’t have diseases like stroke or Parkinson’s disease, they do slow down,” Mr Buchman said.
The study’s author and director of the stroke care unit at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, Roger Bonomo, said “being old does not mean you have to walk like you have Parkinson’s disease”.
“So, rather than saying, ‘oh, it’s just age,’ see a neurologist,” he urged.
