2 types of health problems associated with ageing

Living long enough is a blessing in many ways. But unfortunately, ageing can be a handicap to your development. It has been proven that health problems accumulate with age. In this article, we will try to discuss some of the diseases that affect people in their later years more.

Cancer

The risk of getting cancer increases with age. And as the statics show, more than 90% of people who have caught cancer, are at least 50 years old. As a result of ageing, the immune system becomes fragile and has more and more difficulty in playing its role. The body becomes fragile and powerless against certain diseases. The most common cancers in older people are breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. There are also cancers to which one is more exposed as one ages. These include lung cancer, colorectal cancer and certain skin cancers. It should be added, however, that the behaviours that some people have had in their younger years, also have an impact on their health later on.

Mental illness

For various reasons, older people unfortunately have a much easier time catching certain mental illnesses. It has been noted that a large proportion of older people who suffer from mental illnesses also suffer from chronic health problems. And it is these problems that lead in most cases to mental illness. For example, people who suffer from depression may have had a stroke, Parkinson's disease or obstructive lung disease. There are many illnesses that have been most often recorded in our fathers and mothers. We can list anxiety, mood disorders, clinical depression, cognitive problems leading to dementia and delusions. Specialists have also observed suicidal behaviour, personality disorders, substance abuse such as alcohol, psychotic disorders. Fortunately, thanks to scientific advances, treatments are now available for the majority of these diseases.