Deadly microbes are primarily responsible for infectious disease in humans. Microbes in the form of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and sometimes fungi often find ways to infect humans.
Elderly people are particularly susceptible to infectious disease caused by deadly microbes which may exacerbate other medical issues in the patient. Bacteria, viruses or fungi can cause pneumonia, a lung infection that often leads to death.Viruses can also cause influenza, which is another respiratory disease and is highly contagious. Blood poisoning, or its medical name Septicemia, occurs with microorganisms entering the blood and causing whole body infection. Septicemia can destroy a human’s circulatory system, cause severely low blood pressure and may cause other organs to become infected, example: lungs or brain.
There are many risk factors associated with diseases from microbes. Learn more about risk, symptoms and treatment of diseaese from deadly microbes by searching this blog.
There are other deadly microbes that can cause disease and death in the elderly:
- Escherichia (E. coli) bacteria can cause food poisoning
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis will result in tuberculosis if an infection becomes reactivated
- Varicella Zoster virus will cause chickenpox
- West Nile virus will cause the infection of the same name
- Human immunodeficiency viris (HIV) lead to AIDS
The time it takes for disease to take hold and the time of duration are used as a way to classify the diseases.
- Influenza and pneumonia caused by viruses and bacteria are classified as Acute infections. They may last from hours to weeks and may result in death.
- Bacteria, viruses and fungi may cause chronic infections like bone infections. They typically last from a few weeks to years.
- Bacteria are often the cause of latent infections like tuberculosis that can remain dormant for many years before they cause any symptoms and become highly contagious.
Contagious illnesses lead to far more fatalities globally when compared to other reasons and elderly people are especially vulnerable, mainly because of age-related issues in their defenses. Virtually all seniors have 30% to 50% fewer defenses compared to younger people, an ailment known as immunosenescence. Along with age related issues, most peoples’ immune system cells become less able to produce antibodies . Additionally the skin and mucous membranes coating your gastrointestinal, respiratory system, and urinary system grow to be less functional obstacles to contagious deadly microbes entering the body. Still, many older people have immune systems which are almost as effective as those from significantly younger individuals.
The effectiveness of immune response also depends on a person’s health situation and is negatively affected by factors like the following:
- inadequate nutrition
- tobacco use
- drinking alcohol
- noxious elements in air and water
- the presence of another disease
Other illnesses, poor physical health, or ailments such as kidney or heart disease, may significantly lower the body’s capability to deal with deadly microbe infections. Chronic lung disease will reduce the opening in airways, increasing the threat of pneumonia. Nerve deterioration and injuries that heal slowly when associated diabetes prove to increase the risk of serious infections.. Difficulties from surgical treatment and other operative injuries also increase the chance of deadly infection.