Gerontological Studies, Especially on Epidemiology of Hypertension. 3. Investigation of Diseases and Their Subjective Symptoms

The subjective symptoms of the aged were studied classifying the patients by their age and blood pressure. And the following results were obtained: 1. The commonest symptom was stiff shoulder and over one half of the subjects had this. And the following symptoms arreared in the order given in their frequency. Fatigability, headache, palpitation, tinnitus, insomnia, numbness, vertigo, stomach repletion, constipation, nycturia, expectoration, caughing, trembling, belching, pyrosis. 2. The following symptoms increased with age: Constipation, numbness, trembling, insomnia, nycturia, tinnitus, caughing. Nycturia and tinnitus were most renarkable. 3. Such symptoms as belching, stomach repletion, pyrosis, fatigability and stiff shoulder decreased with the elevation of blood pressure, fatigability being most remarkable. The symptoms of digestive system came under this categary. 4. The symptoms of respiratory system were more frequent among women, caughing and expectoration being the only symptoms of this categorywhich were found among men. The following symptoms were highly frequent with women: Tinnitns, belching, constipation, numbness: trembling, insomnia, virtigo, palpitation, headache, fatigability, stiff shoulder, stomach repletion, pyrosis, nycturia, etc. Among the above, the frequency of constipation, virtigo, and headache with women was twice of men while that of stiff shoulder, palpitation, belching, numbness, and insomnia was 1.5 times. Such marked subjective symptoms with women may probably due to thier different reactions to the surroundings and their climacterium. 5. The symptoms most frequent with the group with systoric pressure of 180-209 mmHg, were tinnitus, numbness, trembling, palpitation, insomnia, and constipation. These symptoms increased in the group with 180-209 mmHg because the persons in this group were in the period when the blood pressure fluctuates sharply while it dropped with the group with over 210 mmHg as their blood pressure was stabilized. 6. It was found the disease and sex difference were two important factors for causing subjective symptoms.