PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES OF AGING PER SYSTEM

SYSTEM: Subjective & Objective Findings Health Promotion Strategies

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM Subjective:  Don't smoke
Shortness of breath, dyspnea, cough.  Avoid harmful
Objective: environmental
 Expression, chest movement factors such as
and respiration. smoke, dust, and
 Respiratory distress, chemicals.
wheezes, or orthopnea  Eat a healthy diet
 Adventitious breath sounds  Maintain a healthy
-Sibilant wheezes weight.
-Sonorous wheezes  Get regular check-
-Crackles ups
-Pleural friction rubs  Exercise

CARDIOVASCULAR Subjective:  Choose healthy

SYSTEM  Chest pain meals and snacks to
-Cardiac help prevent heart
-Pulmonary disease and its
-Muscular or complications.
gastrointestinal  Be sure to eat plenty
-Sensation of squeezing around the of fresh fruits and
heart; a steady, severe pain; and a vegetables and fewer
sense of pressure. processed foods.
-Radiate to the left shoulder and  Eating lots of foods
down the left arm or to the jaw. high in saturated fat
-Diaphoresis and pain worsened by and trans-fat may
activity contribute to heart
-Dyspnea, diaphoresis, pallor, disease.
nausea, palpitations, or tachycardia.
Objective:
 Skin
-Cyanosis
-Turgor
- Temperature
-Diaphoresis
-Integrity (skin breakdown)

GASTROINTESTINAL Subjective:  Eat a high-fiber diet.

SYSTEM  Pain- “gnawing”, “aching”, or
“burning”
-Duodenal ulcers- occurs 1-3
hours after a meal and may
awaken patient from sleep. Pain
is relieved by food, antacids, or
One of the best ways to
improve your digestive
health is by maintaining a
diet that is high in fiber and
rich in fruits, vegetables,
legumes, and whole grains.
 vomiting. This keeps the normal
-Gastric ulcers: food may process of digestion running
exacerbate the pain while smoothly, helping to prevent
vomiting relieves it. constipation and maintain a
 Nausea, vomiting, belching, healthy weight
dyspepsia, bloating, chest
discomfort, anorexia
hematemesis, &/or melena
may also occur.
-nausea and vomiting, & weight
loss more common with Gastric
ulcers.
Objective:
 Epigastric tenderness
 Guaic-positive stool resulting
from occult blood loss
 Succussion splash resulting
from scaring or edema due
to partial or complete gastric
outlet obstruction.

RENAL SYSTEM Subjective:  Make physical

 Loss of appetite activity part of your
 Nausea routine
 Fatigue and weakness  Aim for a healthy
 Muscle twitches and cramps weight
 Peripheral edema  Get enough sleep
 Persistent itching  Stop smoking
 Urinary frequency, nocturia  Limit alcohol intake
 Chest pain  Explore stress-
 Shortness of breath reducing activities
 Drink water instead.
 Watch your blood
Objective: pressure.
 Decreased mental agility
 Swelling of feet and ankles
 Weight gain
 Poorly controlled
hypertension
 Elevated serum creatinine
REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM Subjective:  Have frequent
 Heaviness in scrotum intercourse,
 Weight loss especially 5 days
 Scrotal pain before and after
 Emotional and educational ovulation.
needs  Don’t smoke.
 Anxiety or depression  Limit alcohol.
Objective:  Cut back on caffeine
  Palpation of the abdomen
and scrotum-enlarged
 Gynecomastia- enlarged
breast
 Mass in testes
 Drainage, swelling,
hemorrhage, - post op
NEUROLOGICAL SYSTEM Subjective:
 Headache
 Head injury
 Dizziness/vertigo
 Seizure
 Tremors
 Weakness
 Incoordination
 Numbness or tingling
 Difficulty speaking
if you’re a woman.
 Stay at a healthy
weight. Women who
are too heavy or too
thin may have
reduced fertility.
 Heat exposure can
lower sperm count in
men, so wear loose
underwear, avoid
hot tubs, and don’t
rest your laptop
computer near your
scrotum.
 Get plenty of sleep.
 Try to avoid night
shift work, which can
disrupt hormone
production.
 Exercise regularly,
but don’t overdo it!
Excess exercise can
interfere with
ovulation. Limit
vigorous exercise to
5 hours or less per
week if you’re trying
to get pregnant.
 Take folic acid
supplements to
improve ovulation
and, if you conceive,
prevent birth
defects.
 Limit meat in your
diet. Eat more fish
rich in omega-3 fatty
acids or plant-based
proteins, which may
improve ovulation.
 Encouraging patients
to manage their own
conditions more
effectively, eg
migraine
 Developing
management
guidelines to enable
GPs to manage
patients more
  Significant history effectively with
 Environmental/ migraine and
Occupational hazard epilepsy.
Objective:  Promoting healthy
 Faintness living and exercise to
 Frequent falls delay the onset and
 Slow response progression of
neurodegenerative
diseases such as
Alzheimer’s disease
and Parkinson’s
disease.
 Increasing the
awareness of the
potential
teratogenicity of
anticonvulsant
medication.
 Increasing
awareness of the
health risks of
smoking, alcohol and
drug misuse
including nitrous
oxide.
MUSCULOSKELETAL Subjective:  Ensure adequate
SYSTEM  Chief complaints- pain, calcium intake.
altered sensation, limited  Avoid sedentary
motion. lifestyle.
 Swelling, heat, and redness.  Continue program of
weight-bearing
exercises.
Objective:
 Physical exam
General inspection
 Looks at the extremities for
overall size, gross deformity,
bony enlargement, and
symmetry.
 Head and neck- crepitus
 Height, weight, nutritional
status, skin spine- lordosis
(is an increased lumbar
curvature)
Scoliosis (lateral spinal
curvature)
Kyphosis (is an exaggeration
of the posterior curvature of
the thoracic spine).
IMMUNE SYSTEM The immune system becomes slower  Eating well, being
to respond. This increases the risk of physically active,
getting sick. Flu shots or other maintaining a
vaccines may not work as well or healthy weight,
protect them for as long as expected. getting enough sleep,
An autoimmune disorder may not smoking, and
develop. avoiding excessive
alcohol use.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM Subjective:  Get plenty of
 Change in energy level exercises
 Heat and cold tolerance  Eat a nutritious diet.
 Mood  Go for regular
 Sleep patterns medical checkups.
 Concentration & memory  Talk to the doctor
 Secondary sexual before taking any
characteristics supplements or
Objective: herbal treatments.
 Changes in vital signs  Let the doctor know
 Weight about any family
 Fat & fluid distribution history of endocrine
(moon face, buffalo hump, problems, such as
truncal obesity, edema) diabetes or thyroid
facial hair in women, problems.
exophthalmos, thinning skin
SOCIAL AND Decreased social contact – friends  Make social
PSYCHOLOGICAL and family die- person may connection —
CHANGES withdraw. Reconciliation with past- especially face-to-
resolving conflicts, losses, face — a priority
acceptance. Changes in physical  Stay active
appearance may be difficult.  Eat a brain-healthy
Changes in roles/tasks that people diet to support
can manage can make them feel they strong mental health
have less to contribute.  Don’t skimp on sleep
 Take up a relaxation
Most older adults report good practice
mental health and have fewer  Make leisure and
mental health problems than other contemplation a
age groups. However, one in four priority
older adults experiences a mental
health problem such as depression,
anxiety, schizophrenia or dementia.