What to do if the elderly suffer from shortness of breath during activities

What to do if the elderly suffer from shortness of breath during activities

What to do if the elderly suffer from shortness of breath during activities. After the elderly reach a certain age, their body functions will not be as good as before, and they are prone to Some more serious and difficult diseases, such as asthma and other diseases, let’s talk about what should we do if the elderly suffer from shortness of breath during activities? What to do if the elderly experience shortness of breath during activities 1

The weather has gotten warmer recently, and the elderly have been doing more outdoor activities. Due to the decline in cardiopulmonary function of the elderly, many elderly people often experience symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitation after activities. Many people think this is just normal after an event. As everyone knows, shortness of breath in the elderly may indicate a variety of heart and lung diseases, so don't be careless. Once symptoms of shortness of breath occur, the nature must first be clarified.

Physiological shortness of breath is the most common. Under normal circumstances, the elderly will have symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitation after strenuous exercise. It can be relieved by taking a short rest. This condition is physiological shortness of breath. Physiological shortness of breath generally has no other accompanying symptoms.

Shortness of breath accompanied by symptoms such as coughing and sputum production often indicates lung disease. Shortness of breath is an early manifestation of chronic diseases such as lung cancer and pleural effusion, and gradually worsening symptoms of shortness of breath are also an important sign of serious emphysema. For example, if you used to be able to climb three floors, but now you are out of breath when you climb the second floor, this means shortness of breath. If it gets worse, seek medical attention promptly.

Shortness of breath accompanied by angina may be coronary heart disease. Heart disease (coronary heart disease) is also an important cause of shortness of breath. Shortness of breath caused by heart disease usually occurs after overexertion or emotional excitement, and is also accompanied by precordial discomfort. If you have shortness of breath for a long time and have a history of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, you need to consider serious diseases such as heart failure. It is even more important to go to the hospital as early as possible to avoid delaying treatment.

When shortness of breath occurs, first try to calm the patient down. You can gently touch the patient's chest, and then drink a glass of warm water. Patients with shortness of breath often open their mouths to breathe air, so the tracheal mucosa is easy to dry. You can use a cup of hot water to soothe the patient. The patient inhales hot steam, which moistens the airway mucosa. It is worth noting that respiratory diseases are common in spring, so preventive measures should be taken to prevent influenza, pollen allergies and other diseases. On a daily basis, you should open windows regularly for ventilation, pay attention to hygiene, strengthen exercise, and enhance immunity. What to do if the elderly suffer from shortness of breath during activities 2

Generally speaking, the reason why the elderly suffer from chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases is that they suffer from chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The more common diseases are Chronic bronchitis, obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, and severe anemia.

If the above situation occurs to the elderly, they need to stop strenuous exercise in time and rest quietly. If strenuous exercise continues under this condition, the patient's hypoxia will be further aggravated and life-threatening. In addition, if you have this kind of patient at home, you can purchase an oxygen concentrator, coupled with a pulse oximeter, to monitor the patient's blood oxygen for a long time, so that the family can keep track of the patient's condition at any time.

If the patient has COPD or fibrosis, it is recommended to keep some lung-moistening or bronchodilating drugs in daily life, among which the more common ones are Western medicines. Anticholinergics, tiotropium, and inhaled corticosteroids. In addition, you can also keep some emergency medicines on hand, such as albuterol aerosols. In addition to some emergency drugs, patients should usually insist on using some anti-asthmatic and expectorant drugs. If inflammation occurs during the illness, they should be appropriately treated with antibiotics. If the patient's wheezing is severe and cannot be relieved, it is recommended that the patient go to the hospital for treatment in time. treat.

To sum up, when the elderly develop asthma symptoms, they need to dilate the trachea in time to restore normal respiratory function. The drugs used need to be selected according to the patient's own situation. Of course, for such patients, daily prevention is the top priority. Patients should find ways to improve their immunity and eat more foods rich in vitamins and protein. What to do if the elderly experience shortness of breath during activities 3

The weather has gotten warmer recently, and the elderly have been doing more outdoor activities. Due to the decline in cardiopulmonary function of the elderly, many elderly people often experience symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitation after activities. Many people think this is just normal after an event. As everyone knows, shortness of breath in the elderly may indicate a variety of heart and lung diseases, so don't be careless. Once symptoms of shortness of breath occur, the nature must first be clarified.

Physiological shortness of breath is the most common. Under normal circumstances, the elderly will have symptoms such as shortness of breath and palpitation after strenuous exercise. It can be relieved by taking a short rest. This condition is physiological shortness of breath. Physiological shortness of breath generally has no other accompanying symptoms.

Shortness of breath accompanied by symptoms such as coughing and sputum production often indicates lung disease. Shortness of breath is an early manifestation of chronic diseases such as lung cancer and pleural effusion, and gradually worsening symptoms of shortness of breath are also an important sign of serious emphysema. For example, if you used to be able to climb three floors, but now you are out of breath when climbing the second floor, this means shortness of breath. If it gets worse, seek medical attention promptly.

Shortness of breath accompanied by angina may be coronary heart disease. Heart disease (coronary heart disease) is also an important cause of shortness of breath. Shortness of breath caused by heart disease usually occurs after overexertion or emotional excitement, and is also accompanied by precordial discomfort.

If you have shortness of breath for a long time and have a history of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, you need to consider serious diseases such as heart failure. It is even more important to go to the hospital as early as possible to avoid delaying treatment.

When shortness of breath occurs, first try to calm the patient down. You can gently touch the patient's chest, and then drink a glass of warm water. Patients with shortness of breath often open their mouths to breathe air, so the tracheal mucosa is easy to dry. You can use a cup of hot water to soothe the patient. The patient inhales hot steam, which moistens the airway mucosa. It is worth noting that respiratory diseases are common in spring, so preventive measures should be taken to prevent influenza, pollen allergies and other diseases. On a daily basis, you should open windows regularly for ventilation, pay attention to hygiene, strengthen exercise, and enhance immunity.

When it comes to nutrition, people naturally think of eating. Usually people think that eating well means being nutritious. Furthermore, people are gradually realizing that both undernutrition and overnutrition can affect health. However, few people know that nutrition is also a way and means of diagnosing and treating diseases.

Lu Li, director of the nutrition department and chief physician of the Armed Police General Hospital, gave the following suggestions to the elderly at the "Winter Elderly Nutrition and Health" lecture held by Beijing Sport University for retired elderly people: : Maintain nutritional balance. Lu Li introduced to the elderly that according to current research, the human body requires more than 100 nutrients to maintain life activities, half of which (about 50 types) cannot be synthesized by the human body itself and can only be obtained through food, which are called "essential nutrients" ". No food is without nutrients, and no food has all the necessary nutrients.

Therefore, it is very important to maintain a variety of daily foods to meet the body’s needs for complete nutrients. According to the nutritional point of view, the ideal dietary structure requires no less than 4 types of vegetables and 2 types of fruits every day, and it is best not to repeat the same food within a week to prevent the lack of certain nutrients due to partial eclipse.

Lu Li pointed out that the most common nutritional problems among the elderly in winter are mainly related to reduced activities, especially reduced outdoor activities. First, reduced digestion and poor appetite lead to a reduction in total intake. Correspondingly, the intake of high-quality proteins such as meat, eggs, and milk is also insufficient. The lack of essential amino acids directly affects the resistance of the respiratory system to infection; the second is sun exposure. After the opportunity is reduced, vitamin D is synthesized less, and calcium intake is insufficient. The free calcium needed in the blood every day can only be replenished from the bones into the blood, causing osteoporosis; thirdly, less activity and less water drinking, plus Insufficient dietary fiber intake can lead to constipation.

Therefore, the winter nutrition strategy for the elderly should be based on the intake of sufficient calories and protein, of which high-quality protein from meat, eggs, and milk should not be less than 60% of the total protein. Specifically, you need to eat about 150 grams of lean meat, one egg, and 250 ml of fresh milk or yogurt every day. In addition, Lu Li also concluded that the elderly should have "eight taboos" in their diet:

Avoid salty and greasy food - to prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease; avoid partial eclipse, picky eaters, and food cravings ——Maintain nutritional balance, which is beneficial to longevity;

Avoid overeating - to prevent myocardial infarction;

Avoid excessive cold - so as not to affect digestive function;

< p> Avoid fat, sweet and thick flavors - mainly prevent hyperlipidemia, diabetes, gout, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis, kidney disease, etc.

Lu Li said that although eating habits are formed in childhood, they are not unchangeable. Theoretically, there is no absolutely unpalatable food. If you don’t like to eat it, it is often because it doesn’t taste good enough. There is a phenomenon in life that mothers pass on their eating habits such as partial eclipse, picky eaters, and food addiction to their children. When the children grow up, they pass it on to their children. This continues from generation to generation, resulting in familial nutrient deficiencies, which not only affects health, but even causes Cause genetic variation. I hope people will be vigilant about this.

Winter is a season where it is easy to gain weight. Many people are accustomed to taking various supplements and foods, and it is inevitable that they will gain weight. Gaining weight in middle age seems to be a common and unwarranted phenomenon, but even for the elderly, gaining weight is not necessarily a good thing. The elderly tend to be less concerned about weight gain, which lays the foundation for many diseases. Simple obesity is more common in the elderly. Tang Hong, director of the Endocrinology Department of Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, pointed out that simple obesity is more common in the elderly. There are two main reasons for simple obesity in the elderly: too little consumption.

As the temperature drops in winter, people's activity level decreases relatively, and their energy consumption also decreases. Therefore, excess energy is stored in the body in the form of fat, and people gain weight. Excessive caloric intake. In winter, most people's diet will increase. On the one hand, they increase calories to keep out the cold, and on the other hand, they increase their physical fitness through supplements. Invisibly, you will consume too many calories and make your body fat.

"Getting fat" in old age is not a good thing. The ancients regarded being fat as "blessing", but in modern society, more and more diseases are related to obesity. Obesity has become the "root cause" of many diseases - obesity increases cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Disease risk. Obesity is an important factor leading to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is also one of the important factors causing the mortality rate of obese people to be higher than that of people with normal weight.

Obese people have increased lipid components in their blood, which can easily lead to atherosclerosis, weakened blood vessel elasticity, and then hypertension. Obesity complicated by hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease are the main causes of cerebrovascular accidents in obese patients. Obesity accelerates joint damage.

There are three main types of bone and joint diseases that may be caused by obesity: osteoarthritis, diabetic osteoarthropathy and gouty osteoarthropathy.

Among them, the most common and harmful one is osteoarthritis. It mostly occurs in movable joints and is a chronic degenerative disease. Obesity is an important risk factor for osteoarthritis, and it is easier to remove than other risk factors, so losing weight is beneficial to the prevention of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis caused by obesity mainly affects the knee joints, followed by hip joints and finger joints. Obesity leads to abnormal blood sugar levels.

Obesity can cause insulin resistance, lead to abnormal blood sugar, initially reduce glucose tolerance, and eventually evolve into diabetes. Most of the weight loss products currently on the market use "laxation" to achieve the purpose of weight loss. Director Tang believes that middle-aged and elderly people are relatively weak and should lose weight by controlling their diet and increasing exercise to achieve a balance between intake and output.