Understanding common age-related health issues in South India

March 06 11:20 2025 Print This Article

Overview

Geriatric Health, or health of the elderly, is a matter of concern in South India, and rest of the country too. With better healthcare, and advances in pharma and medicine, life-expectancy in India has increased, with people living up to the 80s and 90s. This puts them at the risk of various age-related ailments, some of which are a natural outcome of age-related decline in physical health, while some are related to lifestyle. In this article, we will learn about the most common ailments in South India, as revealed through various studies. While the focus of these studies is South India, similar findings can be expected for the rest of India too.

Introduction 

India’s changing demography continues to amaze its people and the world too. India is called the youngest country in the world, as nearly 65 percent of people are 35 years or younger, today (2023). At the same time, the population of seniors (60 years and above) has increased from 7.5 percent in 2010 to (projected) 11.1 percent in 2025. By mid-2050s, population aged 65 years and above would have overtaken population aged 15 years and below.

The International Journal of Medical Research and Health Sciences routinely publishes papers on this subject. One such paper revealed the findings of a study conducted in a few villages of Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu. Nearly 600 seniors, taken from a sample of people with wide-ranging socio-economic backgrounds, age, education-levels, and both genders, were studied.

Common Geriatric Health issues in South India 

As per the study, the most common categories of ailments, in reducing order (highest to lowest) is as follows:

List of ailments 

According to geriatricians, It’s important to know what are the ailments in each of the above categories. Based on this, seniors can seek information on the same and watch out for symptoms. Some of them are familiar conditions, while some may appear new and require brief explanation.

Ocular (Eyes or vision-related)

• Cataract: A clouding of the lens of the eye, which causes blurred vision
• Refractive error: Here, the eye cannot focus the images clearly, leading to blurred vision. If left untreated, it can cause serious vision impairment.
• Disorders of the Lacrimal apparatus: The lacrimal system is what ensures tears are shed properly, and/or the eyes are kept moist. Disorders of the system can cause dry eyes and impair vision over time.
• Pterygium: A growth on the eye-whites (conjunctiva or mucous membrane) that can spread to the cornea. It can cause irritation and blurred vision.
• Corneal scar: A scar can make the cornea opaque or irregular in shape. This can affect the cornea’s ability to focus images properly.
• Keratitis or corneal ulcer: This is an infection of the cornea caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses or parasites (worms).

Cardiovascular

• Hypertension (Pre-hypertension, Stage 1 hypertension and Stage 2 hypertension): There are various types or stages of hypertension depending on the systolic and diastolic blood-pressure readings averaged over time.
• Ischemic Heart Disease: Also called coronary heart disease. Plaque build-up in major arteries of the heart can limit blood-flow to the heart, causing various conditions.
• Congestive Heart Failure: Here, the heart is not able to pump blood efficiently, leading to various conditions in the body.

Skeletomuscular

• Arthritis: Swelling, tenderness and inflammation in one or more joints of the body
• Backache: There are various causes for this, which requires more examination
• Kyphosis: The spine develops an abnormal curvature (hunchback)
• Neck pain: Again, multiple causes, which require clear diagnosis
• Osteoarthritis: There is a cartilage or protective tissue around the ends of the bones. This tissue can degenerate with age, leading to pain in one or more joints of the body.

Mental illness

• Depression: Clinical depression in the elderly is often ignored or mistaken for mere mood-swings. However, this can be serious and requires proper treatment.
• Dementia: Progressive loss of memory and some cognitive abilities
• Anxiety disorder: Chronic feelings of anxiety, fear or worry which can affect one’s day-to-day life

Auditory (ear or hearing-related)

• Ear infections: causes for this include bacteria, viruses, fungi, inflammation in the ear and a weakened immune system
• Wax in the ear: Wax can build-up over time and harden, thereby impairing hearing
• Presbycusis: Or age-related hearing loss. One of the risk factors is family history of the condition

Gastro-intestinal

• Dyspepsia: Indigestion and pain or discomfort in the upper-abdomen. This is usually felt after drinking or eating
• Haemorrhoids: veins in the rectum and anus swell, which leads to bleeding, discomfort and pain while defecating
• Diarrhoea: causes include food-poisoning, bowel disorders, antibiotics and bowel obstruction.
• Constipation: caused by various conditions which require more examination
• Hernia: a part of the intestine or stomach bulges out through an abnormal opening, leading to pain and swelling
• Enteritis: inflammation of the small intestine which leads to diarrhoea

Anaemia

Anaemia is a condition where there is not enough of healthy red-blood-cells to carry oxygen to cells of the body. In the elderly, causes for anaemia include Vitamin B12 deficiency, iron deficiency, folate deficiency, myelodysplastic syndrome and gastrointestinal bleeding (which again can be caused by various conditions). So, a thorough examination of the cause is required, instead of just emphasizing consumption of healthy food.

Respiratory

• Asthma: Narrowed, swollen or inflamed airways that produce extra mucous can impair breathing
• Bronchitis: Lining of the bronchial tubes get inflamed leading to shortness of breath and coughing up thick mucous
• Pulmonary tuberculosis: A bacterial infection of the lungs that can be contagious and spread to other organs

Miscellaneous conditions

• Vitamin deficiencies: Deficiencies of folate, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 can cause depression and affect cognitive abilities, Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle ache and fatigue
• Fever: again, due to various reasons which requires proper diagnosis
• Dental caries: a bacterial infection that can cause toothache, tooth loss and tiny holes in the teeth
• Osteoporosis: Although osteoporosis (porous, and hence brittle bones) is a skeletomuscular condition, in women, it’s primarily caused by hormone loss, post menopause. Men develop senile osteoporosis due to loss of bone mass and bone strength.

Skin

• Dermatitis: Irritation of the skin which causes dry skin, rashes, blisters, itchy skin and flaky skin
• Vitiligo: Pigment-producing cells in the skin stop functioning or start dying, leading to a loss of skin colour

Genitourinary

• Difficulty in Micturition or urinating
• Incontinence: Bladder control gets affected, resulting in urgency and frequency (urge incontinence) or even a little urine-loss when one coughs, sneezes or laughs (stress incontinence)

Neurological

• Paralysis: Paralysis is characterized by muscle weakness and hence total loss of function in one side of the body.
• Paresis: This is partial paralysis, localized to an area in one side of the body.
• Parkinson’s Disease: a locomotor disorder which causes uncontrollable and involuntary shaking, stiffness, difficulty in movement, and loss of balance

Diabetes

Type-2 diabetes mellitus was more common while Type-1 was rare. In type-2 diabetes, insulin produced by the body is not efficiently utilized by the cells of the body.

Female reproductive tract

• Changes in urinary patterns: More frequent or less frequent urination, waking up in the night to urinate (nocturia), etc
• Urinary Tract infection: an infection in the urethra, bladder or kidneys causes a wide variety of symptoms. In elderly women, it is generally caused by weakened muscles of the pelvic floor and bladder leadings to urine retention, incontinence and UTI.
• Prolapse: With age, the pubic muscles lose their tone. This results in the uterus, vagina, or bladder shifting their positions significantly.

Understanding and addressing age-related health issues are crucial for improving the quality of life among the elderly in South India. At 1win, with branches across Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli, and Trichy, our geriatricians offer specialized care and treatment plans tailored to the needs of seniors, ensuring comprehensive support for a healthier, happier life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common health issues for seniors in South India?
The most common issues include vision problems, heart and blood pressure issues, joint and bone pain, digestive troubles, and mental health challenges.

What eye problems do elderly people often face?
Seniors frequently experience cataracts, blurred vision from refractive errors, dry eyes, and other issues like pterygium or corneal scars.

What heart-related problems are common among older adults?
High blood pressure (hypertension), coronary heart disease, and congestive heart failure are among the top cardiovascular issues.

Which musculoskeletal problems affect the elderly?
Joint pain from arthritis, backaches, and conditions like osteoarthritis and kyphosis are typical musculoskeletal concerns.

What digestive issues are seen in seniors?
Many older adults experience indigestion, constipation, hernias, and sometimes more serious conditions like gastrointestinal bleeding.

How do mental health issues impact the elderly in South India?
Depression, dementia, and anxiety are common mental health challenges that can affect the quality of life for seniors.

1win is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.

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