ROUTINE BLOOD TESTS: PART 3 OF 4: Blood tests and age-related changes in older people

Blann, Andrew

Andrew Blann is a consultant at City Hospital, Birmingham, and senior lecturer in medicine, University of Birmingham.

Nursing Times 110(7):p 22-23, February 12, 2014.

Abstract

Routine blood tests 3: blood tests and age-related changes in older people. Nursing Times; 110: 7, 22–23. Many age-related changes in health can be detected in blood tests. In particular, renal function deteriorates with age, and this is factored in when estimating the glomerular filtration rate. However, some symptoms may be wrongly attributed to old age, while some medication can mask, exacerbate or cause problems in older people.

This article looks at specific areas of pathology to help practitioners use blood tests to understand, recognise and treat diseases in older patients.

• This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

Many signs and symptoms of disease in older patients are attributed to old age without further investigation, leading to conditions being undiagnosed and untreated