Reminder: Taking these 4 kinds of medicines often may increase the risk of falling in the elderly. Are you taking them?
Aunt Wang, who is 83 years old this year, has a good habit of doing morning exercises on weekdays, so she is in good health. However, during the latest morning exercise, Aunt Wang had an accident-accidentally fell and injured herself.
After Aunt Wang was sent to the hospital, it was found that she had fractures. The doctor learned that Aunt Wang was taking hypoglycemic drugs, antihypertensive drugs, cold medicine, and diazepam, and believed that the fall had something to do with the drugs.
Aunt Wang didn't understand, she didn't expect to have such a big side effect after taking the medicine! So which drugs may increase the risk of falling?
1. Why are old people afraid of wrestling?
Among the elderly over 65 years old in China, almost 3-4 out of 10 people have had a fall accident , and fractures and other problems after falls will also have a greater impact on the health of the elderly.
The reason why the elderly are so prone to falls is mainly affected by many factors:
One is physiological factors , such as sensory system degeneration, gait and balance function decline, central nervous system or musculoskeletal system function decline, etc.;
The second is pathological factors , including neurological, psychological, cardiovascular, ophthalmological and other diseases;
The third is drug factors . Many drugs may affect the mental consciousness of the elderly and cause falls;
The fourth is psychological factors . For example, when you are in a bad mood, you may also increase the risk of falling;
Finally, there are environmental and social factors , such as slippery floors or dim lighting.
And once the elderly fall, the consequences may be dire!
There is a positive correlation between aging and the rate of bone loss, especially for the elderly, and osteoporosis is very common. The reason why falls are dangerous for the elderly is that they are prone to fractures, especially hip fractures . Once a fracture occurs, the elderly may face death!
Foreign literature points out that if the elderly have a hip fracture, if they cannot be operated on in time, the risk of mortality within one year will be between 20% and 50% , which is even higher than the mortality rate of cancer.
It is not the fracture that leads to death, but the long-term bed rest after the fracture.
Due to the inability to move on the ground, the physical condition of the elderly will become worse and worse over time, and the muscles will begin to atrophy, and even skin ulcers and pus will appear, accompanied by symptoms such as pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and constipation .
2. Often taking 4 kinds of drugs, the risk of wrestling may increase
Director Mei Qinghua from the Department of Pharmacy of the Second People's Hospital of Guangdong Province believes that the elderly's body functions are declining, and the dosage of drugs will increase in due course.
Coupled with the decline in kidney excretion and liver detoxification functions of the elderly, it is easy to lead to an increase in drug blood concentration, which will cause drug accumulation and adverse drug reactions. Many drugs may affect mental awareness, vision and gait balance, etc. Thus the elderly are prone to falls while taking the medicine.
Therefore, the elderly who are taking the following four types of drugs are most at risk of falling and should be extra careful when walking:
1. Cardiovascular drugs
For example, antihypertensive drugs such as Norvasc and Mecasu can reduce blood vessel tension, dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure, which can easily cause dizziness and even postural hypotension.
2. Diuretics
Common diuretics include spironolactone, furosemide, etc. When diuretics are used, the body will also lose a large amount of electrolytes and body fluids in a short period of time, causing the elderly to experience fatigue, dizziness, drowsiness, or unsteady standing, which in turn causes the elderly to fall .
3. CNS depressant drugs
Such as analgesics, sedative hypnotics, antipsychotics, etc. These central nervous system depressants can keep people calm, but they can also easily cause postural hypotension, which will reduce the cognition, balance and activity of the elderly, making it easier fall down.
4. Hypoglycemic drugs
Hypoglycemic drugs such as Baitangping, Nuohelong, etc., can also affect the balance ability and mental awareness of the elderly while reducing blood sugar, especially if they are taken in excess or if they are not eaten in time after taking the medicine, it may even cause hypotension and cause the elderly to fall .
3. It is very easy to fall at 6 moments, how to minimize the injury?
Once an old man falls, it may be only a skin trauma, and it may even threaten the life of the old man. If the old man accidentally falls in his life, how can he reduce the risk of being injured?
We need to be clear about the six moments when the elderly are most likely to fall, including when waking up, getting up at night, taking a bath, when taking an escalator, when getting on and off the car, and when answering the phone . If you accidentally fall, you should do two things:
First things first, assess the injury after the fall. To keep calm, do not make any movements within a few minutes of the fall to avoid secondary injuries, and then change the legs and hands and feet to determine whether there is pain and whether the activities are restricted.
The second thing is to deal with it according to the situation after the preliminary judgment.
If you are not injured, then turn your head first, and then slowly turn to a crawling position. Don't worry, slowly exert force with your hands, support your knees, and crawl to the nearest furniture. Then turn to furniture for support, kneeling on one leg and slowly lift the calf of the other leg until the foot can be flat on the ground, and finally use both arms and legs at the same time to stand up slowly.
If you are injured, you should calm down and find the injured part, and use the alarm equipment or call 120 for help. If there is no emergency equipment, you can shout loudly, or knock on the ground or furniture with objects around you, so as to attract the attention of people around you.
In addition, the elderly should also pay attention to protecting themselves in daily life, so as to avoid the occurrence of wrestling from their own aspects.
1. Keep exercising
Maintain good living habits, insist on moderate exercise, you can do Tai Chi, you can also take a walk, pay attention to exercise in moderation, and do what you can
2. Eat a balanced diet
Appropriately supplement some vitamin D and calcium tablets. You can also moderately bask in the sun to promote calcium absorption. In terms of diet, you should also pay attention to balanced nutrition and adequate protein supplements.
3. Actively treat the primary disease
The elderly should actively maintain their own mental and physical health. Chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and high blood pressure should be actively treated and used rationally.
As the elderly age, their muscle mass decreases and their bone quality declines. Once a fall occurs, it will cause great harm to the elderly. Especially the occurrence of fractures requires the elderly to stay in bed for a long time, which will also aggravate muscle atrophy and decline in cardiopulmonary function. In severe cases, it may even be fatal.
References:
[1] "These commonly used drugs for the elderly may increase the risk of falls". Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine. 2022-10-09
[2] "Fall", the leading cause of death due to injury for the elderly over 65 years old! Academician Yuan Longping Wrestled in March and Caused Discomfort". Life Times. 2021-05-23
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