JustCare

Tag: Symptoms

  • Six warning signs of dementia

    Six warning signs of dementia

    Dana Smith reports for the New York Times on six warning signs of dementia, memory loss included. Keep in mind that each of these signs alone should not cause concern. But, taken together, they are cause for visiting the doctor. To read more about signs of dementia on JustCare, click here.

    Financial problems: People with dementia can experience problems handling their finances long before losing their memory. In many cases, they struggle to stay on top of their bills and can’t manage their expenses. Some will spend money excessively or give money away without appreciating what they’re doing.

    Sleep problems: Again, lots of adults have sleep issues. But, people with dementia might have a change to their circadian rhythm and need to sleep at odd hours and be awake in the very early morning when it’s still dark. Some people with dementia will act out their dreams while they sleep, physically moving and talking. It’s not normal sleep walking or sleep talking; it’s more hitting and screaming.

    Changes in personality: People with dementia might withdraw from social activities, stay home more,  and become less agreeable and conscientious before they show other signs of mental decline. For example, hey might struggle to finish projects. They will continue to be disagreeable and less trusting of others as their dementia progresses.

    Challenges driving: Driving  requires the driver to perform multiple mental tasks at once. When driving becomes a challenge, it’s a sign that the driver is suffering from dementia. The driver might not see a stop sign or nearly miss hitting another car or otherwise not follow the rules of driving. If that’s the case, you might want to take action to prevent the person from driving.

    Loss of smell: People with dementia often lose their ability to smell long before they experience other symptoms. Dementia can cause loss of smell.

    In addition, people with dementia might struggle for words, might misplace things, or become confused more easily.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Should you be worried about monkeypox?

    Should you be worried about monkeypox?

    There are a lot of reasons you should not be worried about monkeypox. But, it is still in its early stages, and there is no telling how monkeypox will spread over time. For now, based on the data, your risks are likely minimal, though as Celine Gounder reports for Kaiser Health News, you should be aware of the symptoms.

    Monkeypox is not highly prevalent at this time. There are fewer than 5,000 cases of monkeypox reported around the entire world. Although that’s likely a major undercounting because many people who get it are not reporting it, the number of cases is a tiny fraction of the world’s population.

    The US has very few reported cases of monkeypox. In the US, there are around 300 reported cases, so you and all Americans have a very small risk of contracting monkeypox.

    Women are not likely to contract monkeypox: Right now, the number of women who have had monkeypox is tiny, only ten reported cases. It is most common among homosexual men.

    Monkeypox tends to have mild symptoms: Most people will not have serious symptoms, but monkeypox could be life threatening for older adults who are immunocompromised or who have grave skin diseases like eczema.

    It could take three weeks from monkeypox infection for symptoms to arise: As with Covid-19, people might have fevers and chills, headaches and swollen lymph nodes.

    A common symptom is the monkeypox rash. People’s rashes turn into pus-filled bumps over time. They might appear similar to a blister or pimple. Eventually, they form a scab.

    Symptoms can be painful. Monkeypox rashes are common on the palms of people’s hands and soles of their feet. They might also appear inside genitalia and mouths.

    Symptoms tend to go away after about two weeks for most people. People can take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for headaches, pain and fevers.

    Monkeypox is a virus, a bit like smallpox. You are not likely to get monkeypox from another person unless you are in intimate contact with them. For the most part, monkeypox is transmitted through sex. But, the monkeypox virus can pass through any membrane in the body that is open, like broken skin, eyes and mouths. Like Covid-19, respiratory droplets could infect someone from a few feet away, though it is not common.

    Get screened for monkeypox if you have symptoms. Contact your physician. You can also visit a sexual health clinic. For a sexual health clinic near you, click here.

    There is an FDA-approved monkepox vaccine. The Jynneos vaccine is available for adults over 18. But, supplies are limited at the moment, so only people who are at risk can get the vaccine at this time. The vaccine has few side effects, but people can get fevers and feel fatigued. The vaccine works to prevent monkeypox after you have been exposed, so long as you get the vaccine early, in the first few days after exposure. If you take it later, the vaccine might help ease your symptoms.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Women beware! You could have heart disease and not know it

    Women beware! You could have heart disease and not know it

    Anahad O’Connor writes for the New York Times about heart disease in women. Women, more than men, often have heart disease, but they downplay or ignore the symptoms, which puts them at higher risk of heart attack. Do you have heart disease and not know it?

    Heart disease kills more Americans than any other condition, nearly 700,000 people a year. About 400,000 of them are women. Also, more women appear to be getting heart disease than ever before.

    A lot of women end up dying because they do not recognize heart attack symptoms, which can include everything from chest pain, fatigue, dizziness, jaw pain, and nausea to indigestion. Women tend to have milder heart attack symptoms than men.

    Women often wait too long to get needed care and don’t get the health care they need.  And, health care providers tend not to diagnose and treat them. Consequently, women are more likely to die of heart disease than men.

    Women typically have heart attacks at around age 69. Men tend to have them earlier, at around age 61

    What should you do to protect yourself if you are not feeling well? If you are not feeling well and there’s any chance it could be a heart attack, make sure that your treating physician or the physician at the hospital takes an EKG. You want to rule out a heart attack as quickly as possible.

    What are the most common symptoms of a heart attack in women? Unlike most men, women with a heart attack might not experience chest pain, the largest heart attack symptom. Instead, women might find themselves short of breath, fatigued or experiencing cold sweats. They might also suffer from jaw and back pain.

    Doctors tend not to recognize symptoms of a heart attack in women. Women with heart attacks who do not experience chest pain are more likely to die. They and their physicians are less likely to diagnose their condition. But, even with chest pains, women are more likely to die than men.

    Women who experience chest pains are not likely to be diagnosed with heart attacks as quickly as men either. Many physicians are inclined to see the symptoms in women as mental. But, physicians tend to see the symptoms in men as heart disease.

    Not surprisingly, physicians are even less likely to recognize chest pain symptoms in women of color as a heart attack. One study found that women waited about 11 minutes longer to get treatment than men, with women of color waiting even longer. Fewer women with chest pains are admitted to hospital than men. Also, health care providers tend to spend less time evaluating women and tend to provide women with EKGs less frequently than men.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Symptoms can differ for older adults

    Coronavirus: Symptoms can differ for older adults

    During this new wave of coronavirus infections, older adults are increasingly being hospitalized. A new large study in the Journal of Gerontology reveals that symptoms can differ for older adults. If older people you know are not feeling well, physically or mentally–even if they do not have typical symptoms–make sure they are tested for Covid-19 and have what they need to get by.

    The New York Times reports that one in three older adults present in hospital with symptoms very different from the classic ones of fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Determining whether they have Covid as soon as possible can help ensure they receive the best possible treatment for their condition.

    Researchers studied the electronic health records of around 5,000 older adults with COVID. They found functional declines in 25 percent of older adults. They were having difficulty walking, transferring from their be, and were otherwise weak and at risk of falling. More than one in ten older adults felt forgetful, confused or agitated. Another study found older adults were more likely to be tired, to have diarrhea and to lose their appetite.

    These mental and physical atypical symptoms often presented in combination with classic symptoms of fever, coughing and shortness of breath. If you are over 65, do not assume that if you are feeling weak but are fever-free that you do not have Covid-19.

    Covid-19 symptoms such as weakness and forgetfulness are more prevalent among people over 65 and even more common among people over 85. Women and Black Americans are more likely to have these symptoms as are people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and dementia. Researchers attribute these different symptoms to differences in metabolisms of older people.

    People with atypical symptoms had fewer breathing problems and had less of a tendency to need to be put on a ventilator. But, they are still at considerable risk, the same risk as people with typical symptoms. Like older adults with typical symptoms, they tended to have 10-day hospital stays and one in three died.

    If you have COVID, the sooner the treatment, the better. Treatment includes anticoagulant drugs and monoclonal antibodies.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Atypical symptoms for older adults

    Coronavirus: Atypical symptoms for older adults

    It seems that the novel coronavirus causes atypical symptoms in older adults. Judith Graham reports for Kaiser Health News on how these unusual symptoms can make it hard for older adults to get diagnosed with COVID-19 and to get the treatment they need in a timely fashion.

    Most people with COVID-19 symptoms from the novel coronavirus have coughs, fever and shortness of breath. They might also lose their sense of smell and taste. And, COVID-19 appears to cause heart problems in about one in five people.

    Older adults might not have any of these typical symptoms. Rather, older adults with COVID-19 might sleep a lot or might feel weak. They might stop eating. Some get confused. They might not be able to speak. Or, they might experience abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.

    For the health care provider, the question is whether these symptoms are related to changes in our lives and displacement or to COVID-19 directly. Routines have changed. Caregivers may have changed. Older adults might not be taking their medicines as prescribed.

    The Washington Post reports yet another likely COVID-19 symptom, “frostbite” toes and other rashes. Some people experience a burning sensation. But, the rash is harmless and usually disappears within a few weeks without treatment.

    Older adults who might have COVID-19 should be tested early on, so that they get treatment as quickly as possible. But, sometimes doctors and other health care professionals do not recognize the symptoms in older adults, especially if the older adults are not coughing and do not have fevers. If there’s any chance you or someone you care for could have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, call the doctor.

    Here’s more from Just Care: