What causes numbness in the hands and feet of the elderly?

When people reach a certain age, not only do they have difficulty with their hands and feet, but they also suffer from various diseases, such as numbness in the hands and feet. So what causes numbness in the hands and feet of the elderly?

1. Malnutrition

Long-term gastrointestinal dysfunction and reduced food intake can cause the body to lack adequate protein and vitamins. In particular, a lack of B vitamins can lead to nutritional and metabolic dysfunction and a slowdown in nerve conduction, causing peripheral neuritis and radiculopathy, resulting in numbness of the hands and feet. The elderly need to strengthen their dietary regulation to make their food easy to digest and promote absorption.

2. Arteriosclerosis

For people with cerebral arteriosclerosis, the speed of nerve conduction will slow down, the local blood and oxygen supply to the brain will decrease, and central dysfunction will occur. In particular, ischemia and hypoxia dysfunction in the central nervous system can cause numbness in the corresponding limb parts. This type of numbness in the hands and feet is often unilateral and paroxysmal. As the condition of blood vessels improves, the numbness symptoms may naturally improve or disappear after a few hours or days. For some patients, if numbness on one side is accompanied by weakness in the limbs on the same side, they need to be hospitalized promptly to avoid developing hemiplegia.

3. Side effects of drugs

People who suffer from multiple diseases may also take multiple medications at the same time. Among them, antibiotics such as sulfa, furazolidone, furazolidone, ofloxacin, anti-tuberculosis drugs such as remifentanil and ethambutol, and chemotherapy drugs such as vinblastine may induce peripheral neuritis and cause limb numbness if the dose is too large or the medication time is too long. This numbness usually starts from the hands and feet, then gradually spreads upward, and is often accompanied by hyperesthesia or paresthesia. Therefore, the dosage should be strictly controlled when taking these drugs.

Warm reminder: numbness in the hands and feet of the elderly is sometimes caused by pressure on the hands and feet during sleep, which can be relieved by activity. However, if persistent unexplained numbness occurs, it may be related to certain diseases and you need to be vigilant.