Chronic Illness in Age Groups - Essay Example

CHRONIC ILLNESS IN AGE GROUPS A recent survey on the prevalence of certain chronic illnesses revealed concrete facts on demographic distribution and epidemiology among three age groups in the last five years. Among the pediatrics aged between 6 to 11 years, young adults of 20 t0 30 years and geriatric population of 65 to 85 years, the non-communicable diseases that were long lasting and responsible for deaths were compiled statistically and approaches designed on the management which varied according to the risk factors in each age group.

Early childhood was found to be associated with asthma and acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) (Cairo et al, 2012). It was also discovered that malignant hypertension commonly affected this age group. The causes of asthma in this group is mainly allergies to dust and pollens which are aggravated by second hand cigarette smoke that is inhaled by the children (In Burkhart & Krau, 2013). Leukemia in this group is mostly idiopathic. However there is a genetic predisposition among family trees where close relatives have had the condition.

Malignant hypertension on the other hand is found among pediatrics whose mothers showed excessive weight gain during pregnancy ( Cheriyan et al 2010).Among the middle age group, demographic data portrays type II diabetes, dyslipidemia and HIV/AIDs as the main chronic conditions of crisis (Pattman, 2010). The main risk factors that culminate to the predominance of the conditions diabetes mellitus type II to the young adults is excessive weight gain culminating to obesity (Wood & Casella, 2010).

However, obesity is only known risk factors among those whose relatives are obese thus is mostly an genetically inherited chronic disease. Poor weight control is seen in the group with high incidences of obesity. HIV/AIDs, although not a chronic non communicable disease per se is over contracted among these youths and young adults due to sexual promiscuity among adolescents and poor control mechanisms. This is a sexual active group that has been a reservoir of the killer illness.The aged have not been spared of chronic diseases either (Crimmins et al, 2010).

Musculoskeletal disorders like arthritis are very common amounting up to 14.8% of the adult population (Conaghan et al, 2010). The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders (COPD) is also very immense with most adults succumbing to lung cancers after prolonged irritation from smoke and other air pollutants that find their way to the respiratory tract (Abramovitz, 2015). Coronary heart disease and low back pain prevail at almost same rate of about 7% according to Australian Health Challenge (Abramovitz, 2015).

The management of the various health crises that are chronic in the various age groups can be generally be looked at as diagnosis and screening of patients for disease through recognition of signs and symptoms and appropriate prescription of drugs and non-pharmacological management. For pediatrics suffering from asthma, salbutamol in spacer is administered during attacks with avoidance of any know allergens above and cigarette smoke (Wood and Casella, 2010). Cancer chemotherapy for initiation remission and maintenance regimen for AML should be administered in affected children with strict monitoring due to poor compliance in the age group.

Metformin is the drug of choice for diabetes type II among middle age with dietary restriction of carbohydrates and adoption of fat and protein diet, while AIDs management involves abstinence from sexual intercourse, being faithful, using condoms for protection during sex and using antiretroviral therapy (Conaghan Et al, 2010). Obesity and dyslipidemias can be controlled by regular exercise and taking low fat diet with supplementation with anti-lipidemics like avastatin in extreme obesity. Geriatric management of arthritis is through use of uric acid analogs and analgesics while coronary heart disease is treated by either a surgical intervention or low dose aspirin and cardiac glycosides.

COPDs are managed by vasodilators like salbutamol and oxitropium while lung cancers have the worst prognosis to available chemotherapeutic agents like paclitaxel (Abramovitz, 2015).ReferencesAbramovitz, M. (2015). COPD. American Academy of Pediatrics., Wood, R. A., & Casella, S. J. (2010). Asthma and diabetes in adolescents. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. Barbour, S. (2011). Obesity. farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Cairo, M. S., Perkins, S. L., & World Scientific (Firm). (2012). Hematological malignancies in children, adolescents and young adults.

Singapore: World Scientific Pub. Co. Cheriyan, J., McEniery, C., & Wilkinson, I. (2010). Hypertension. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Crimmins, E. M., Preston, S. H., Cohen, B., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2010). International differences in mortality at older ages: Dimensions and sources. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. In Burkhart, P. V., & Krau, S. D. (2013). Pediatrics. Pattman, R. (2010). Oxford handbook of genitourinary medicine, HIV, and sexual health.

Oxford: Oxford University Press. Conaghan, P., OConnor, P. J., & Isenberg, D. (2010). Musculoskeletal imaging. Oxford: Oxford University Press.