Drug Therapy for the Elderly

2013
ISBN: 978-3-7091-0911-3
Verlag: Springer Vienna

Buch, Englisch, 356 Seiten, Paperback, Format (B × H): 178 mm x 254 mm, Gewicht: 783 g

With people aged 65 years and older currently making up the fastest growing age group throughout the world, the demographic revolution of an aging society will inevitably lead to increased pressure to develop a rationalistic and age-tailored process of diagnosis and treatment among the elderly. As aging people often suffer from several chronic diseases and are being treated with multiple medications concurrently, unwanted drug interactions occur more frequently.
Whereas recent approaches have recommended to remove particular drugs from the medication regimen to avoid adverse effects, Drug Therapy for the Elderly underlines both indispensable and dispensable elements of drug treatment in order to provide an overall assessment of drugs suitable for the aged. In view of the multimorbidity and polypharmacy situations experienced by elderly patients, this book takes into account the special needs and requirements shown by this group, thus serving as a timely reference for physicians who treat the elderly.

Zielgruppe

Professional/practitioner

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wehling, Martin

Fachgebiete

• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizinische Fachgebiete Pharmakologie, Toxikologie
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Klinische und Innere Medizin Geriatrie, Gerontologie
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizinische Fachgebiete Pharmakotherapie, Psychopharmakotherapie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword by J. Gurwitz

1          General aspects.-
1.1        Heterogeneity and vulnerability of older patients
(Heinrich Burkhardt).-
1.2        Epidemiological aspects (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
1.3        Age-associated general pharmacological aspects
(Martin Wehling).-
1.4            Critical extrapolation of guidelines and study results: risk-benefit-assessment for patients with reduced life expectancy and a new classification of drugs according to their fitness for the aged (Martin Wehling).-
1.5        Inappropriate medication and medication errors in the elderly
(Zachary A. Marcum and Joseph T. Hanlon).-
 
2            Special aspects with respect to organ systems based on geriatric clinical importance.-
2.1        Arterial hypertension (Martin Wehling).-
2.2        Heart failure (Martin Wehling, Robert L. Page 2nd).-
2.3        Coronary heart disease and stroke
(Martin Wehling).-
2.4        Atrial fibrillation (Martin Wehling).-
2.5        Diabetes mellitus (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
2.6        Obstructive pulmonary disease
(Martin Wehling).-
2.7        Osteoporosis (Martin Wehling).-
2.8        Parkinson’s disease (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
2.9        Therapy of chronic pain (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
2.10        Dementia (Stefan Schwarz, Lutz Frölich).-
2.11        Depression (Stefan Schwarz, Lutz Frölich).-
2.12        Sleep disorders (Stefan Schwarz, Lutz Frölich).-
2.13        Therapy decisions and drug therapy of cancer in the elderly
(Ulrich Wedding, Stuart M. Lichtman).-
 
3            Pharmacotherapy and geriatric syndromes.-
3.1        Fall risk and pharmacotherapy
(Heinrich Burkhardt).-
3.2        Central nervous-system (CNS) medications and delirium
(Donna M. Fick).-
3.3       Pharmacotherapy and special aspects of cognitive disorders in the elderly (Heinrich Burkhardt).-       
3.4       Pharmacotherapy and incontinence
(Heinrich Burkhardt, J. Mark Ruscin).-
3.5       Immobility and pharmacotherapy (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
3.6       Pharmacotherapy and the frailty syndrome (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
 
4            Further problem areas in gerontopharmacotherapy and pragmatic recommendations.-
4.1        Adherence to pharmacotherapy in the elderly
(Heinrich Burkhardt).-
4.2        Polypharmacy (Heinrich Burkhardt).-
4.3        Inappropriate prescribing in the hospitalized elderly patient
(Robert L. Page 2nd, J. Mark Ruscin).-

Über Autor(innen)

With people aged 65 years and older currently making up the fastest growing age group throughout the world, the demographic revolution of an aging society will inevitably lead to increased pressure to develop a rationalistic and age-tailored process of diagnosis and treatment among the elderly. As aging people often suffer from several chronic diseases and are being treated with multiple medications concurrently, unwanted drug interactions occur more frequently.
Whereas recent approaches have recommended to remove particular drugs from the medication regimen to avoid adverse effects, Drug Therapy for the Elderly underlines both indispensable and dispensable elements of drug treatment, providing the practitioner with:

- Background information on the elderly population regarding their needs for particular drugs (with an eye to frailty, co-morbidity patterns, and special sensitivities regarding drug metabolism and excretion)
- Practical advice about drug treatment surveillance parameters in the elderly
- In-depth discussion of drugs in relation to the elderly with specific diagnoses
- Integration of multimorbidity/polypharmacy situations into prioritization schemes
- A plan for how to deal with the complexity of polypharmacy situations in a five-minute consultation

An original classification of drugs is proposed by the editor which relates the power of effects, prognostic data, and tolerability to a prioritization scoring system. This approach is the first to not only provide a negative listing, but also integrates positive data into an overall assessment for drugs fit for the aged. Therefore, Drug Therapy for the Elderly serves as a timely reference for a wide array of physicians.