The clinical implications of ageing for rational drug therapy.
BACKGROUND
The proportion of the elderly is constantly increasing and by the year 2025 20% of the population will be above 65 years of age. With advanced age, subjects will develop multiple diseases and often need to take several drugs.


CONCLUSIONS
This polypharmacy increases the risk for drug interactions and adverse effects. In addition, age-related physiological changes affect different biological systems and can contribute to alterations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in older patients, which are more often seen in the frail than in the fit elderly. These features will complicate drug therapy in the elderly, and a careful dose titration is advisable. Furthermore, inappropriate drug prescription and non-adherence to medication represent common therapeutic challenges in elderly subjects. To date, there is no evidence of any effective antiageing agent.


CONCLUSIONS
This review summarizes present knowledge of age-related problems in drug action and their clinical implications for an increasingly important population.
Shi
Shaojun
S
Dr Margarete Fischer-Bosch-Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Stuttgart, Germany.
Mörike
Klaus
K
Klotz
Ulrich
U
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D015897:Comorbidity; D004358:Drug Therapy; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D010599:Pharmacokinetics; D019338:Polypharmacy; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D012307:Risk Factors; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data