The population most likely to experience UTIs is the elderly. Elderly people are more vulnerable to UTIs for many reasons, not the least of which is their overall susceptibility to all infections due to the suppressed immune system that comes with age and certain age-related conditions. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Younger people tend to empty the bladder completely upon urination, which helps to keep bacteria from accumulating within the bladder. But elderly men and women experience a weakening of the muscles of the bladder, which leads to more urine being retained in the bladder, poor bladder emptying and incontinence, which can lead to UTIs.
Elderly people with serious urinary tract infection don't exhibit the hallmark sign of fever because their immune system is unable to mount a response to infection due to the effects of aging. In fact, elders often don't exhibit any of the common symptoms – or don't express them to their caregivers.
UTIs in the elderly are often mistaken as the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer's, according to NIH, because symptoms include:
- Confusion, or delirium-like state
- Agitation
- Hallucinations
- Other behavioral changes
- Poor motor skills or dizziness
- Falling
Sometimes, these are the only symptoms of a UTI that show up in the elderly—no pain, no fever, no other typical symptoms of a UTI.
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Urinary Tract Infections in the Elderly
That's scary!
ReplyDeleteScary and true in fact this is well known in the medical community. I wonder how many elders were wrongfully guardianized when the problem was a curable medical problem, a UTI?
ReplyDeleteIt's a common problem in nursing homes.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother really hates hospitals, needles, IV's and anything in the hospital. She always prefer Natural remedies for her UTI. I think she's drinking cranberry juice and tell's us that it's way more effective to drugs from doctors. I don't know. hahahaha
ReplyDelete