title: [The elderly patient].
abstract: Many elderly have mild physical disorders. It is difficult to differentiate between the physiological symptoms of ageing and disorders in the elderly patient. Many disorders present as non-specific signs or symptoms in the elderly. The relevance of an abnormality can be judged by comparing the patient's current state with his or her prior level of functioning: what aspect of his or her condition has changed? Attributing an abnormality to a disease instead of aging only makes sense if it has therapeutic consequences for the patient; in this respect, the patient's level of functioning is an important frame of reference.
authors.affiliation: Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen, afd. Interne geneeskunde, Universitair Centrum Ouderengeneeskunde, Groningen, the Netherlands. h.h.m.hegge@int.umcg.nl
authors.forename: Harianne H M
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hegge
authors.forename: Tjeerd O H
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: de Jongh
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods*