Common Blood Disorders in the Elderly
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Hematologic diseases (also known as blood disorders) can alter our blood’s ability to complete important functions like supplying cells with oxygen and nutrients or fighting off an infection. As we age, our bodies become more vulnerable to blood disorders like anemia or blood clots and blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
In this post, we’ll break down common blood disorders in elderly adults and highlight signs to look out for as a caregiver.
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Research shows that blood disorders in the elderly have been on the rise over the past few decades. Though not a comprehensive list, the most common blood disorders found in elderly adults include:
Anemia
Anemia is a blood disorder which occurs when your body has a lack of healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin. Causes include excessive blood loss, decreased red blood cell production, and destruction of red blood cells.
The most common causes of anemia in the elderly are chronic disease and iron deficiency. Other causes of anemia in the elderly may include Vitamin B12 deficiency, folate deficiency, gastrointestinal bleeding and myelodysplastic syndrome.
Symptoms of Anemia include:
- Dizziness
- Fast or unusual heartbeat
- Headache
- Pain in your bones, chest, belly, and/or joints
- Shortness of breath
- Pale or yellow skin
- Swollen or cold hands and feet
- Feeling tired or weak
- Vision problems
Blood clots
Blood clots are a natural part of our body’s healing process after a cut or scrape — however, sometimes blood clots do not naturally dissolve on their own or form inside of blood vessels without injury. Blood clots can be extremely dangerous, leading to life threatening medical events like a stroke, heart attack, or pulmonary embolism.
Risk factors for blood clots include injuries to a vein, slow blood flow, certain chronic medical conditions (notably heart disease, lung disease, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease), and obesity.
Symptoms of Blood Clots Include:
- Pain
- Swelling
- A feeling of warmth
- Tenderness
- Redness
- Pain when you stretch your toes upward
Hemophilia
Hemophilia is a blood disorder where the blood can’t easily clot, meaning that even a slight injury can cause serious bleeding. Though uncommon, in some rare cases a person can develop hemophilia later in life — but thankfully, full recovery is possible with proper treatment.
Common Blood Cancers in the Elderly
There are multiple types of blood cancer that are more common in adults over the age of 65, including:
Leukemia
Of the four main types of Leukemia, three of them are most common in elderly adults:
- Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common chronic leukemia in adults. Symptoms may not appear for several years with CLL.
- Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is more common in older adults, but can affect adults of any age. Symptoms may not appear for several years with CML.
Common signs and symptoms of leukemia include:
- Fatigue
- Fever or night sweats
- Frequent infections
- Shortness of breath
- Pale skin
- Unexplained weight loss
- Bone/joint pain or tenderness
- Pain or full feeling under your ribs on the left side
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck, underarm, groin or stomach
- An enlarged spleen or liver.
- Bruising and bleeding easily, including nosebleeds, bleeding gums, a rash that looks like tiny red spots in skin (petechiae) or purplish/darkened skin patches.
Myeloma
Your risk for multiple myeloma (MM) increases as you age. According to WebMD, 35% of the patients are diagnosed at age 75 or older, including 10% who are 85 or older. The average age for this type of blood cancer is 70.
Diagnosing and treating multiple myeloma can be challenging because many of the most common symptoms can easily be confused for side effects of another age-related condition, including diabetes, kidney disease, or osteoporosis.
Common signs and symptoms of myeloma include:
- Unexplained anemia (low red blood cell count)
- Fatigue
- Bone pain
- Fractures
- Spinal cord compression
- Too much calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia)
- Kidney problems
- Repeated infections
- Thickening of blood (hyperviscosity)
Lymphoma
Approximately half of all lymphoma cases occur in patients more than 65 years old and one‐third of reported cases are aged over 75 years. Very few differences have been identified between young and elderly lymphoma patients with regard to symptoms and treatment.
Much like multiple myeloma, diagnosis of lymphoma can prove challenging because many common first signs like swollen lymph nodes, cough or fever — may look like other common illnesses.
Common signs and symptoms of lymphoma include:
- Unexplained fevers
- Swollen lymph nodes that do not go away
- Unexplained weight loss
- Unusual sweating, especially at night
- Extremely itchy skin
- Severe tiredness that does not go away with rest
- Cough, shortness of breath or chest discomfort
To learn more about our home care services, contact our caregiving team today at 1-800-GRISWOLD or find a Caregiver near you.
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Date: 2025-01-14
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