Are Normal Aging Symptoms Normal?
It is not a surprise when an elderly person is showing typical signs of aging. However, recent studies have shown that many typical aging symptoms, including shaky hands, can be associated with small brain lesions. These small brain lesions would most likely arise from transient ischemic attacks (mini strokes), which might have no immediate symptoms associated with it. The study incorporated 1100 nuns and priests, whom were examined every year starting in 1994. When they passed away, their brains were donated to the study for further examination. The study found that 30% of the 418 people that died showed small lesions or thrombosis in their brains. However, the subjects didn’t show any signs of brain disease or stroke when alive. And while alive, the subjects with the hardest time walking and other aging symptoms, showed more lesions.
This conclusion does coincide with possible causes of stroke, which are more likely to develop with aging. Two risk factors for a stroke are hemodynamic impairment (HDI) and micro embolic signals (MES), which can be associated with arthrosclerosis, internal carotid artery disease, plaque formation, and other common developments with aging. Another study demonstrated the correlation between these risk factors and transient ischemic attacks, which concluded that HDI and MES can independently and collectively promote watershed infarcts. This demonstrates that these risk factors, which are prevalent among the elderly, can lead to brain ischemia.
By recognizing these “aging symptoms” as a result of a preceding mini stroke, these patients could be informed they are at a higher risk of a worse stroke. These patients could take action by lowering cholesterol levels, increasing physical activity, as well as taking prescription medications, including anticoagulants. With the results from these two studies it is evident that normal aging symptoms could be considered not so normal after all.
Sources:
Below are links to the abstract and an article posted on NPR. The final source demonstrates the link between hemodynamic impairment and micro embolic signals with transient ischemic attacks.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21885844
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20508190
It's very interesting how significant aging defects could correlate to our topic of improper oxygen perfusion to the brain like stroke. It makes sense instinctively that clotting of vessels in the brain would carry on those effects to the skin and the rest of the head. I just had a simple question: is there a specific reason that the test subjects were nuns and priests?
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