Bruises and Abuse

Bruises usually happen because a person bumps something and this ruptures the capillaries that are under the skin. This causes the area that is bumped to become darkened. Some people bruise more easily than others, and this indicative of fragile capillaries, poor health or an inability to create collagen. Bruising sometimes is found on people with apparent reason for the bruise. This has been a subject of research and this research tells us that the most frequent cause of repeated bruising is when one lacks required nutrition. Older persons often have a poor diet and thus can be quite inclined to bruising. To deal with this is relatively easy: add nutrition through supplements to your diet. Dieters who have a lost a substantial amount of weight are also at risk of developing bruises. This is due to the fact that they have many capillaries that were needed to supply blood to their body, but that body is no longer there, leaving the capillaries exposed.

One of the main causes of bruising seems to be a deficiency in certain nutrients, primarily vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, bioflavonoids, and zinc. There are many reasons that can cause a vitamin C deficiency:

Not eating enough of the right foods, including fruits and vegetables (remember the problem sailors used to have centuries ago with scurvy outbreaks on long voyages? It was caused by a lack of vitamin C.

• Taking certain medications that wipes out this vitamin
• Lengthy stress from mental or physical illness
• Smoking (a single cigarette can lessen the body of 25 mg of vitamin C)
• Repeated emotional venting, such as irritation or antagonism
• Being exposed to pollutants in the air, such as heavy metals or allergens

Further, a lack of hesperidin, one of the bioflavonoids (often known as vitamin P) that occur naturally is often found in association with vitamin C. This has been associated with unusual capillary weakness. These deficiencies, that include hesperidin, Citrin, Rutin, Flavones, Flavonals, Calechin, and Quercetin, were found to be very important to reverse the propensity for bruising.

The amount of force required to cause injury that results in a bruise changes as one ages. The amount of force needed to cause a bruise in a child is likely to be much more than what is required in the elderly. In the elderly even a small trauma or slight scratch can result in substantial bruising or ecchymosis.

In addition, medications that are taken by older persons also impact the ease of bruising. Drugs that affect this are those that interfere with blood clotting. These drugs include many prescription arthritis medications called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen and Advil, as well as some over the counter medications such as aspirin. Coumadin is another often prescribed drug that is used to prevent clotting in patients who have had blood clots in their legs or heart. Additionally, Cortisone medications can promote bruising.

As a result of the foregoing, if a caregiver indicates that an elderly man “fell off the toilet,” but the elderly man has bruises all over his body, for example, a handprint visible on his side or a contusion on his shoulder, you should be suspicious. Normal bruising is generally not seen on an elderly person’s neck, ears, buttocks, genitals and feet. Thus, if it is found there or is suddenly seen with greater frequency in other areas, then this should raise a red flag. If there is a problem here, then you should contact Ed Fox & Associates, Ltd..

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