TY - JOUR
T1 - Physiologic Changes in Old Age
T2 - Relation to Altered Drug Disposition
AU - Greenblatt, David J.
AU - Divoll, Marcia
AU - Abernethy, Darrell R.
AU - Shader, Richard I.
PY - 1982/11
Y1 - 1982/11
N2 - Current knowledge of the effects of aging on drug disposition is reviewed. Although definitive studies are not always available, based on present evidence it appears that: 1) drug absorption is not impaired in the elderly; 2) drug distribution in the elderly may be altered by significant changes in the lipid/lean body mass ratio; 3) Phase I (non‐synthetic) biotransformation reactions of the liver appear to be much more profoundly affected by aging than are Phase II (synthetic) reactions; 4) age‐related effects of biotransformation can be different even for compounds that are very similar and undergo the same types of reactions. Important parameters of drug metabolism are also discussed, such as the need to use total clearance, rather than half‐life, in assessing pharmacokinetics.
AB - Current knowledge of the effects of aging on drug disposition is reviewed. Although definitive studies are not always available, based on present evidence it appears that: 1) drug absorption is not impaired in the elderly; 2) drug distribution in the elderly may be altered by significant changes in the lipid/lean body mass ratio; 3) Phase I (non‐synthetic) biotransformation reactions of the liver appear to be much more profoundly affected by aging than are Phase II (synthetic) reactions; 4) age‐related effects of biotransformation can be different even for compounds that are very similar and undergo the same types of reactions. Important parameters of drug metabolism are also discussed, such as the need to use total clearance, rather than half‐life, in assessing pharmacokinetics.
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U2 - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1982.tb01350.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1982.tb01350.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 7130589
AN - SCOPUS:0020373976
SN - 0002-8614
VL - 30
SP - S6-S10
JO - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
JF - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
ER -