DR ELLIE CANNON: My GP tells me I must live with my swollen, red legs at age ... trends now
For a good six months I have had swollen legs. At times they've been red, hot and very painful. I'm 90 and I've been prescribed antibiotics twice, but they didn't help. Most recently my GP said I had to learn to live with it. Is she right?
Leg swelling, wounds and ulcers that are slow to heal are all common and very distressing problems for the elderly which affect mobility and quality of life.
They deserve proper treatment. In the 1990s a brilliant district nurse, Ellie Lindsay, set up The Leg Club in order to help people with these problems. It's a network of nurse-led drop-in clinics offering treatment and advice to help prevent problems from returning.
They also provide an opportunity for patients to meet others in the same situation, as issues with the legs that limit mobility may also be very isolating.
Legs can be swollen for a number of reasons in someone older – this is called oedema. Sometimes it is due to a lack of mobility, as normal walking encourages the circulation, moving fluid out of the legs. But problems with the veins can also be an issue as the valves controlling blood flow don't work as well with age. Compression stockings and using moisturisers are important treatments.
Leg swelling, wounds and ulcers that are slow to heal are all common and very distressing problems for the elderly which affect mobility and quality of life
Your GP also needs to consider if your heart is pumping effectively, as if the rate is poor it can lead to swollen legs, and whether any medications you take are worsening the problem.
To find out more about The Leg Club, visit legclub.org or ask your GP receptionist.
About 15 years ago I started to become breathless with exercise and was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. I was given tablets which sorted it out, but over the past year I've started to feel puffed out again, even when doing something simple such as bending down to tie my laces. I am a 65-year-old man, fairly fit and not overweight. Should I worry, or is this just old age?
The kind of breathlessness described here isn't something to be expected as we age, and it certainly shouldn't be ignored. Anyone experiencing this must visit their GP who can start trying to look for a cause.
Tests should be able to flag-up any problem with the heart – atrial fibrillation is a condition that leads to an irregular heart beat and this might trigger breathlessness. But there could be other issues, such as faulty heart valves or a problem with the pump action of the heart.
Investigations should also look at the lungs.
Many problems with the lungs will cause breathlessness, from asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to less common issues such as lung fibrosis, which is a build up of scar tissue that can occur after infections.
If the GP can't run tests, then patients should expect a referral to a hospital clinic.
We have seen a lot of people suffering with breathlessness in the past few years as a result of developing long Covid, and you should discuss this possibility with your doctor.
Beyond the heart and lungs, other issues may also be relevant.
Anaemia – when a lack of iron means you don't produce enough red blood cells to ensure the body gets the oxygen supply it needs – can cause
