Diseases & Conditions Archive

Most people drink less as they grow older. However, some maintain heavy drinking patterns throughout life, and some develop problems with alcohol for the first time during their later years. The many challenges that can arise at this stage of life — reduced income, failing health, loneliness, and the loss of friends and loved ones — may cause some people to drink to escape their feelings.

Several factors combine to make drinking — even at normal levels — an increasingly risky behavior as you age. Your ability to metabolize alcohol declines. After drinking the same amount of alcohol, older people have higher blood alcohol concentrations than younger people because of such changes as a lower volume of total body water and slower rates of elimination of alcohol from the body. That means the beer or two you could drink without consequence in your 30s or 40s has more impact in your 60s or 70s.

In the journals

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If you have persistent trouble detecting or identifying odors, that may be an early sign of dementia, according to a study in the Sept. 25, 2017, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Almost 3,000 older adults, ages 57 to 85, who did not have dementia were asked to detect and identify five common odors like peppermint, fish, orange, rose, and leather. Five years later, the researchers found that almost half of those who performed poorly on the smell test (were either unable to detect the odors or unable to identify what the smells were) had been diagnosed with dementia. In comparison, 79% of those who scored high on the smell test did not have dementia.

The results only show an association between poor sense of smell and dementia, but the researchers noted that a smell test could be a simple way to identify high-risk people. It isn't clear how sense of smell and dementia may be linked, but the researchers speculated that underlying causes of dementia, like amyloid plaque buildup and tau tangles in the brain, also may affect the olfactory (sense of smell) system.

Ask the doctors

Q. My partner says I snore at night. Does this mean I have sleep apnea?

A. If you snore at night, you're in good company. Some 90 million Americans have the same problem, according to the American Sleep Apnea Association. And luckily, not all of them have sleep apnea. Snoring is typically caused by a narrowing of your upper airway. Tissues in the back of your throat sometimes relax in your sleep and drop down, partially blocking the passageway. Air from your breathing rattles the tissue, creating that distinctive noise as it flows past.

Despite the fact that headaches are extremely common, doctors don't fully understand exactly why or even how they occur. Neither the skull nor the brain is sensitive to pain, but both are surrounded by pain-sensitive membranes. Most headache pain stems from abnormalities in these membranes or nearby muscles, blood vessels, or nerves—either alone or in combination.

Women are twice as likely as men to experience moderate and severe headaches and more likely to experience certain types of headaches, such as migraine. A major reason is fluctuating hormone levels that are part of the monthly menstrual cycle.

Ask the doctors

Q. Is there any way to tell if you are getting osteoporosis? Are there symptoms?

A. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes your bones to become weak and brittle and more likely to break. Unfortunately, you probably won't have any symptoms until the disease is advanced or you actually experience a fracture. However, there are two visible clues of osteoporosis: changes in your posture (such as a hunched-over appearance) and loss of height. Both of these changes may be caused when your spine becomes curved or compressed from weakness or tiny fractures (called compression fractures) in your vertebrae, the small bones that make up your spine.

Change the circumstances that can lead to conflict between your senses and make you sick.

Some people dread riding on a plane, train, bus, or boat, or even sitting in the back of a car. The motion makes them feel nauseated or dizzy, and it may bring on headaches, vomiting, or cold sweats.

"We're wired differently for processing motion and movement. Some people are less tolerant of motion than others. It's very common," says Dr. Steven Rauch, an ear specialist and chief of the vestibular (balance) division of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

On call

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Q. How can I get my daily requirement for calcium if I am lactose intolerant?

A. We usually associate high-calcium foods with dairy products, like milk, cheese, and yogurt. If you cannot tolerate these foods from a digestive standpoint, you can still meet your calcium requirement by increasing your consumption of certain green leafy vegetables and calcium-fortified foods.

One of the most embarrassing conditions also can be one of the easiest to treat and manage.

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Hemorrhoids are without doubt among the most unpleasant of health topics. But if you have suffered from them, you may find comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

More than 75% of people ages 45 and older have had hemorrhoids, with symptoms like rectal pain, itching, and bleeding after a bowel movement.