20 Most Common Medical Conditions Affecting Older People

A guide to the most widespread medical conditions that affect older people. Learn how to spot the symptoms and prevent future health problems.

Josh Updated on Aug 9, 2023

Around 26 million people in the UK have at least one long-term medical condition. This includes nearly 50% of people aged 65-74 and nearly two-thirds of those over 85. What’s more, the UK’s ageing population means these numbers will only increase in the coming years. In fact, experts predict that by 2030, around seven million older people will have at least one long-term illness or health problem. The ageing population and the increasing rates of long-term medical conditions have had a huge impact on the NHS. Falls are a particular cause for concern, and remain the leading cause of emergency hospital admissions for older people. A fall can have a serious impact on long-term health, especially for those who are living with a medical condition.

What Is a Medical Condition?

"Medical condition" is a very broad term. It can refer to any kind of disease, disorder, injury, or illness, including mental illnesses. The older we get, the more likely we are to be diagnosed with at least one medical condition. Some medical conditions are fairly mild and may not make much difference to your day-to-day life, while other medical conditions require intensive treatment. But what are the most common medical conditions in the UK?

Common Medical Conditions in Older People

Advances in healthcare have helped people in the UK live longer than ever before. As a result, medical conditions have become a more common feature of older life. Thankfully, there is more support than ever for people living with the most common health conditions. It’s important for us all to understand the most common medical conditions so that we are able to spot the symptoms and get medical assistance when we need it. Furthermore, we should understand how to prevent common illnesses and how to live with them. Here’s our guide to the most common medical conditions affecting older people.

Arthritis	Asthma	Blindness	Cancer
Chronic Bronchitis	Chronic Kidney Disease	Coronary Heart Disease	Deep Vein Thrombosis
Dementia	Diabetes	Epilepsy	High Cholesterol
Hypertension	Motor Neurone Disease	Multiple Sclerosis	Osteoporosis
Paget’s Disease of Bone	Parkinson’s Disease	Shingles	Stroke

1. Arthritis

Arthritis is one of the most common medical conditions among older people, affecting 10 million people in the UK. It causes joint pain and inflammation, which can restrict your movement. There are two common types of arthritis: osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Among older people, osteoarthritis is more common. This is because osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear; after all, the older we are, the more we have used our joints. Around eight million people in the UK have this type of arthritis. In contrast, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks the lining of the joints.

Arthritis Symptoms

Symptoms of arthritis include:

Joint pain, tenderness, and stiffness
Restricted movement
Inflammation in and around the joints

"Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in a joint. In the UK, around 10 million people have arthritis. It affects people of all ages, including children.” – NHS

The risk of a fall increases if you have arthritis. Therefore, people with medical conditions like arthritis (especially those who live alone) should ensure that they can always call for help if they need it. A personal alarm system lets you call for help 24/7. You simply push the red button on your pendant, worn around the wrist or neck, and our 24/7 Response Team will respond. For extra peace of mind, there is the Fall Detector alarm, which will call the Response Team automatically when it detects a fall. A member of the team will assess your situation before taking the appropriate action. This usually means contacting your loved ones and informing them that you require urgent assistance. The team can also contact the emergency services when required.

2. Asthma

Asthma occurs when the body’s airways are sensitive to allergens and become inflamed. This inflammation can cause a painful and frightening asthma attack, which causes the airway muscles to tighten and narrow, making it hard to breathe. Most people can manage their asthma very effectively with proper medication. However, asthma left unchecked can be fatal. On average, 3 people die every day from an asthma attack in the UK.

Asthma Symptoms

Symptoms of asthma include:

Coughing
A tight sensation in the chest
Breathlessness

Older people are susceptible to asthma and should be on the lookout for symptoms, especially during the winter months. Asthma can worsen during and after a bout of cold or flu. Having a Personal Alarm could make a crucial difference if you suffer from an asthma attack. You can press your pendant button, which will instantly raise an alert with our Response Team. They will communicate with you over the loudspeaker and arrange for help immediately. Should you collapse or fall while wearing a Fall Detector, your device will send an alert call automatically.

Read More – Asthma: A Useful Guide

3. Blindness

Around two million people are living with sight loss here in the UK, with 360,000 people registered as blind or partially sighted. The leading cause of blindness is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects more than 600,000 people in the UK. AMD occurs when deposits build up on the macula (a small area at the centre of the retina). AMD can also be caused by abnormal blood vessels developing under the macula. Other medical conditions can cause sight loss too – such as glaucoma and diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy damages the retina, leading to sight loss. Treatments for sight loss vary depending on the cause, but may include:

Cataract surgery
Eye drops
Laser surgery

Early diagnosis of potential blindness is vital, so please seek medical attention if you notice any change to your vision. Of course, we should all have regular eye tests to ensure that our eyesight is healthy. The NHS recommends that people have an eye test every two years at the very least. Sight loss can be very challenging to deal with. Luckily, there are several excellent support groups out there that can help, such as the RNIB.

4. Cancer

Did you know that 1 in 2 people will develop a form of cancer at some point in their lives? There are over 200 types of cancer, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. Cancer is a disease where cells in the body replicate abnormally and form a mass known as a tumour. These abnormal cells multiply, either causing the tumour to grow or the cancerous cells to spread through the bloodstream.

Cancer Symptoms

Here are some common cancer symptoms to look out for:

Finding an unexpected lump
Unexplained weight loss
Unexplained blood in the stool, urine, when coughing, or when vomiting

Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer. If you are a smoker, there is no time like the present to quit smoking. Thanks to medical research, cancer survival rates have been steadily improving for decades. Sadly, the survival rate is generally lower for older people. Therefore, it’s very important to catch symptoms early and begin treatment as soon as possible. Please take a look at our guide to coping with cancer, an article we hope will help those affected by this condition.

Read More – Cancer: A Useful Guide

20 Most Common Medical Conditions - Cancer

5. Chronic Bronchitis Chronic bronchitis is a condition that affects the lungs and airways. It’s one of several lung conditions which come under the umbrella of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Most cases of bronchitis develop as a result of an infection that irritates the bronchi (airways), causing an overproduction of mucus. The body tries to shift this excess mucus via coughing. Chronic bronchitis is when this coughing continues daily for several months of the year, for two years or more.

Bronchitis Symptoms

Look out for the common symptoms of chronic bronchitis, which include:

Hacking cough, which may bring up mucus
A sore throat
Headaches
A runny or blocked nose
Fatigue
Aches and pains in your chest

Smoking makes you more likely to develop chronic bronchitis and other COPD conditions. Therefore, the most important thing to do if diagnosed with chronic bronchitis is to quit smoking. Cigarettes will only make the condition worse and it will take longer to disappear. Alongside this, you should also ensure that you’re eating a healthy diet to help prevent lung infections in the first place. If you have chronic bronchitis, you should make sure that you get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, and treat any headaches or fever with paracetamol or ibuprofen – but don’t use the latter if you have asthma.

6. Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is quite common among older people here in the UK. There are several other medical conditions that affect the kidneys and can lead to chronic kidney disease. These conditions include kidney infections, high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney inflammation. According to Kidney Care UK, around 64,000 people in the UK are receiving treatment for kidney failure – this is stage 5 chronic kidney disease, where kidney function is less than 15%.

Chronic Kidney Disease Symptoms

Unfortunately, symptoms for the early stages of CKD are quite rare. In most cases, the condition is diagnosed during a blood or urine test for other medical conditions. As the condition progresses, you may experience:

Shortness of breath
Feeling sick
Blood in your urine
Swollen ankles, feet or hands
Tiredness

If you suffer from any of the symptoms above or notice any other worrying changes to your body, you should see your GP as soon as possible. There is no cure for CKD right now, but there are treatments which can relieve the symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening. Options include medication, living a healthy lifestyle, dialysis, or a kidney transplant in severe cases.

7. Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death here in the UK. According to the NHS, coronary heart disease (CHD) is what happens when fatty substances build up in the arteries, blocking the blood supply to the heart. Certain lifestyle choices and other medical conditions can cause CHD. Risk factors include:

If you are at risk of CHD, your doctor might carry out an assessment. This could involve a treadmill test and one or more different scans. They’ll also ask you questions about your family history and lifestyle. The main symptoms of coronary heart disease are angina, heart attacks, and heart failure. In order to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, you might need to make important lifestyle changes. For example, everyone should take part in regular exercise and eat a balanced diet. Those who smoke should stop smoking as soon as possible. There are also several types of medication or surgery options to help treat CHD. The knock-on effects of CHD can appear out of nowhere and can be fatal. If you have a Personal Alarm, you can raise the alarm as soon as you feel any chest pain, and help can be arranged within seconds. Remember, a Fall Detector Pendant will detect a sudden fall and automatically raise an alarm for you. Having this technology can make a huge difference should you suffer from a heart attack.

8. Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in your deep veins, most commonly in one of your legs. This medical condition is most common in people over the age of 40, and can also lead to further complications, including pulmonary embolism. There are a number of factors that can increase your risk of DVT. These include obesity, blood vessel damage, being inactive for long periods of time, and a family history of blood clots. In addition, smoking can cause serious damage to blood vessels. To lower your risk of deep vein thrombosis and several other medical conditions, you should seriously consider quitting.

DVT Symptoms

Here are the most common symptoms of deep vein thrombosis:

Pain, swelling, and tenderness in one of your legs
A heavy ache in the affected area
Red skin – particularly at the back of your leg, below the knee
Warm skin in the area of the clot
A mild fever

One common treatment involves blood-thinning medication, which makes it harder for the blood to clot and prevents existing clots from increasing in size. Alongside your medication, you will also need to make some lifestyle changes.

9. Dementia

Dementia is a progressive disorder that affects memory and overall brain function. It is relatively common in older people, affecting around 1 in 14 people over 65. This increases to 1 in 6 people over the age of 80. The most common and well-known form of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Vascular dementia is another type of dementia that develops as a result of a stroke or blood vessel deterioration.

Dementia Symptoms

Symptoms of dementia include:

Difficulty remembering recent events.
Problems in conversation – struggling to follow along or to find the right words.
Difficulty judging distance.
Forgetting where you are or what date it is.

Nearly one million people in the UK live with dementia, 90% of whom are 65 or over. If you notice any of the symptoms above, you should visit your GP as soon as possible, especially if you are over 65. An early diagnosis will help you get the best results from treatment while giving you more time to prepare for the future. The symptoms of dementia can be frightening for you and your loved ones alike. Personal Alarms can offer peace of mind. If you ever get disoriented or become confused about your surroundings, you’ll be able to press your pendant for help. Our expert Response Team are trained to provide reassurance and take action quickly.

10. Diabetes

Older people are susceptible to developing diabetes. In fact, half of all people with diabetes in the UK are over 65. Diabetes is a lifelong condition, which occurs when the body doesn’t have enough insulin. This could be because the pancreas isn’t producing enough, or because the body is resistant to the insulin it produces. Diabetes affects an astonishing 3.9 million people here in the United Kingdom. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition, where the body attacks the cells that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is when the body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin it makes doesn’t work properly. This is the more common type of diabetes – affecting around 90% of diabetics. Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem among older people, and a large proportion of newly diagnosed diabetics are from the older generation. In fact, one in 10 people over 40 are now living with this medical condition.

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

To help prevent type 2 diabetes, the NHS encourages the following lifestyle changes:

Healthy eating – Increasing the amount of fibre in your diet and reducing sugar and fat intake
Maintaining a healthy weight – If you are carrying excess weight, lose it gradually by eating healthily and exercising frequently
Exercising regularly – It is important to stay active; perform both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities

20 Most Common Medical Conditions - Diabetes

11. Epilepsy Epilepsy is a neurological condition that can cause seizures. Did you know epilepsy is most common in those at opposite ends of the age spectrum? It is most prevalent in young children and people aged over 65. In fact, 25% of people with epilepsy are over 65. Every day, 87 people are diagnosed with the condition. Epilepsy can be caused by head injuries, strokes, tumours, or certain infections. You’ll normally receive a diagnosis if you’ve had two or more seizures. This is because many people have a one-off epileptic seizure during their lifetime. There are several medications that can help to control epilepsy. In fact, these medications help eight out of every 10 people with epilepsy to control their seizures. If you have epilepsy, you should follow these steps to manage your condition:

Stay Healthy – Take part in regular exercise and eat a balanced diet
Sleep – Ensure that you’re getting enough sleep
Avoid Alcohol – Avoid excessive drinking

Please remember that if

Josh

Updated on Aug 9, 2023