#千万IP创科普# Please avoid these health care misunderstandings of the elderly! ｜银龄科普

Since last year, the Quanzhou Science and Technology Association has earnestly implemented Quanzhou's "Silver Age Science Popularization" campaign, focusing on the hot science concerns and science needs of the elderly group, with "Elderly Health and Wellness", "Crossing the Digital Divide" and "Anti-Telecom Financial Fraud" as the main contents, helping the elderly to master basic scientific knowledge on health and wellness, smart technology and anti-fraud, so that they can better integrate into the modern smart society.

In order to further improve the health literacy, information literacy and digital skills of the elderly and allow the fruits of scientific and technological development to benefit the lives of the elderly, Quanzhou City's Office of the Leading Group for National Science Literacy, Quanzhou Association for Science and Technology, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University jointly launched a popular science reader - "Talking about Health and Enjoyment in Health", focusing on advocating a civilized and healthy lifestyle, and focusing on popularizing health and wellness knowledge for the elderly, so that the elderly can better and more deeply understand and accept it, and continuously enhance the elderly's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

What are chronic diseases?

The full name of chronic diseases is chronic non-communicable diseases. It does not refer to a specific disease, but a class of diseases with unknown causes and long courses. High-risk factors include smoking, drinking, and unhealthy diet.

The elderly are a high-risk group for diseases, so chronic diseases have become an important factor affecting their health.

Characteristics of chronic diseases

Chronic diseases in the elderly mainly refer to a group of diseases represented by cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, etc.), diabetes, malignant tumors, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc.). They are characterized by long course of illness, complex causes, serious health damage and social harm.

Types of chronic diseases

Chronic diseases refer to diseases that persist and develop over a long period of time. Currently common chronic diseases mainly include the following types:

Hypertension: Long-term high blood pressure can easily cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Diabetes: Abnormal pancreatic islet function leads to long-term high blood sugar, which can easily lead to complications such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, kidney disease, etc.

Heart disease: including coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation and other heart diseases.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Common ones include chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc.

Chronic kidney disease: Long-term damage to kidney function, often leading to kidney failure.

Osteoporosis: Loss of calcium from bones, reduced bone density, and increased risk of fractures.

Autoimmune diseases: such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, etc.

Cancer: The growth and deterioration of cells, resulting in abnormal tissue growth.

Mental illness: such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc.

Gout: A joint disease caused by a disorder of uric acid metabolism.

The dangers of chronic diseases

1. Harm the human body's willpower and resistance

Usually the main harm of chronic diseases is that they damage the body's willpower and lead to a decrease in resistance.

2. Heart failure

Some chronic diseases can also cause functional failure of various organs, and lead to asthma-induced fibrosis of lung function, seriously affecting the quality of life of patients.

3. Prone to disability

It can mainly cause damage to important organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, and can easily lead to disability.

4. High mortality rate

In China, 85% of deaths are caused by chronic diseases, with a mortality rate of 65%.

5. Increasing economic burden

It affects working ability and quality of life, and the medical expenses are high, which increases the economic burden on society and families. Among chronic diseases, patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes have the highest economic burden and economic risk.

6. Cause anxiety and depression

The harm of chronic diseases usually causes anxiety, depression, etc. The harm of chronic diseases mainly causes damage to important organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys, which can easily cause disability. Patients will experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and even listlessness.

7. Brain damage

Such as cerebrovascular disease and arteriosclerosis, severe cases may cause stroke, leading to limb movement disorders and unilateral hemiplegia.

8. Prone to complications

Diabetes may cause infection, ketoacidosis, kidney disease, retinopathy, etc. Hypertension may be complicated by coronary heart disease, cerebral hemorrhage, etc. Coronary heart disease may cause heart failure, arrhythmia, cerebral ischemia, etc.

9. Heart damage

The more common ones include myocardial infarction, heart failure, etc.

10. Kidney damage

It is mainly prone to cause renal failure. If complications occur, the patient's quality of life will be seriously affected, such as limb paralysis and inability to take care of oneself.