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Fever. Fatigue. Muscle aches. A cough. In the age of COVID-19, it can be hard to know what exactly these symptoms point to.

One major clue that they point directly to the flu: They came on abruptly (while those associated with COVID-19 tend to start out mild and gradually worsen). 

But that’s not to say the flu always announces itself in the regular way — particularly among people over 65. In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, older patients were less likely than younger ones to report fever, cough and sore throat — arguably the most common flu symptoms — and as a result, weren’t diagnosed as quickly, if at all. That can be problematic if you’re 65 and older, since age alone ups your chances of getting hit much harder by a bout with the flu.

Blame your immune system, which weakens with age, “so all infections are more severe, as are complications from infections,” says infectious disease specialist Purvi Parikh, M.D., a clinical assistant professor in the department of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Those over 65 may also have other chronic medical problems like heart disease and diabetes that make it even harder to fight off infections.”

To learn more from AARP about flu symptoms that may require a visit to your doctor, especially if you have a medical condition such as heart disease or diabetes, CLICK HERE.

Diabetes is a serious disease, and it affects many older adults. People get diabetes when their blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. The good news is that you can take steps to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease to develop in older adults. If you already have diabetes, there are steps you can take to manage the condition and prevent diabetes-related health problems.

What is diabetes?

Our bodies turn a lot of the food we eat into sugar, called glucose, which gives us energy. To use glucose as energy, our body needs insulin, a hormone that helps glucose get into our cells. If you have diabetes, your body may not make enough insulin, may not use insulin in the right way, or both. That can cause too much glucose to stay in the blood, which can cause health problems over time. Your family doctor may refer you to a doctor who specializes in taking care of people with diabetes, called an endocrinologist. Often, your family doctor will work directly with you to manage your diabetes.

To learn more about the different types of diabetes, the symptoms and how to manage diabetes, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.

Even if genetics put you at risk for a stroke, you can greatly lower your chances of experiencing one by maintaining a few healthy lifestyle choices. That’s the finding of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

People who have maintained good cardiovascular health “could potentially slash that risk [of stroke] by a significant amount,” says Myriam Fornage, an author on the paper and a professor at the Center for Human Genetics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

Specifically, the study looked at the effect of following Life’s Simple 7, the American Heart Association’s (AHA) prescription for heart health. To view the list of habits that can help reduce your stroke risk, from AARP, CLICK HERE.

Changes that happen with age may increase a person’s risk of heart disease. A major cause of heart disease is the buildup of fatty deposits in the walls of arteries over many years. The good news is there are things you can do to delay, lower, or possibly avoid or reverse your risk.

How Does the Heart Work?

Your heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood to your body. A normal, healthy adult heart is about the size of your clenched fist. Just like an engine makes a car go, the heart keeps your body running. The heart has two sides, each with a top chamber (atrium) and a bottom chamber (ventricle). The right side pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side receives blood rich with oxygen from the lungs and pumps it through arteries throughout the body. An electrical system in the heart controls the heart rate (heartbeat or pulse) and coordinates the contraction of the heart’s top and bottom chambers.

How Your Heart Changes with Age

People age 65 and older are much more likely than younger people to suffer a heart attack, to have a stroke, or to develop coronary heart disease (commonly called heart disease) and heart failure. Heart disease is also a major cause of disability, limiting the activity and eroding the quality of life of millions of older people.

Aging can cause changes in the heart and blood vessels. For example, as you get older, your heart can’t beat as fast during physical activity or times of stress as it did when you were younger. However, the number of heartbeats per minute (heart rate) at rest does not change significantly with normal aging.

To learn more about the impact of aging on your heart, signs of heart disease and how to help prevent it, from the National Institute on Aging, CLICK HERE.

Embracing the positives about growing older could add years to your life

What five words first come to mind when you think about someone who’s old?

Yale researcher Becca Levy says that most Americans who answer that question include at least a few words that have a negative connotation, like senile, grumpy and weak.  

The problem, Levy says, is that believing those ageist stereotypes can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In a new book, Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long & Well You Live, Levy lays out a deep body of research demonstrating that many health problems formerly considered to be entirely due to aging are instead strongly influenced by negative age beliefs.

Studies reveal that people with negative beliefs about aging are more likely to experience cardiovascular events like heart attacksand strokes, chronic stress, walking and balance issues, memory problems and psychiatric illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

To learn more about the effects of attitudes on aging, and how to reverse your negative beliefs about aging, from AARP, CLICK HERE.