Clinicians, The Elderly and Drugs

The increase of the elderly within our population makes for increased chronic disease and, hence, greater use of sophisticated medications now available. This paper reviews current knowledge of the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics among elderly users of drugs and estimates the prevalence of use of prescribed drugs. Less is known of specifics of prescribing patterns, but evidence clearly suggests the strong influence of patient/doctor communication in compliance and control of side effects. There is little hard evidence on the populations considered at high risk for inappropriate prescribing and use and for side effects. The influence of race, socioeconomic class and age are all suggested Since drugs and their uses increase daily, it is important to investigate the area of high-risk populations in order to accumulate evidence which can lead to appropriate interventions.