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Related Concept Videos

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients01:15

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption01:22

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption

As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion01:18

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion

In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution01:00

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are not...
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism01:18

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism

Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...

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Therapeutic Massage for Psychological Well-being in Geriatric Oncology
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Published on: May 22, 2026

Depression in geriatric patients.

A Abbas Asghar-Ali1, U K Braun

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA.

Minerva Medica
|March 12, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Depression in older adults is common, often presenting as dysthymic disorder or minor depression, impacting quality of life. Primary care physicians can utilize brief screening tools and consider specific treatments for these prevalent conditions.

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Published on: October 6, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Depressive disorders significantly affect older adults' quality of life, with conditions like dysthymic disorder and minor depression being more prevalent than major depression in community-dwelling elders.
  • Older adults frequently experience grief and bereavement, complicating depressive symptom presentation.
  • Depressive symptoms are often associated with various medical conditions, including dementing illnesses, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review relevant depressive diagnoses encountered by primary care physicians in older adults.
  • To discuss assessment tools for depression screening in the elderly.
  • To highlight the relationship between specific medical conditions and depression in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on depressive diagnoses, assessment tools, and associated medical conditions in older adults.
  • Discussion of first-line pharmacological treatments for depression, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

Main Results:

  • Prevalence data indicates dysthymic disorder, minor depression, and depression due to medical conditions are more common than major depression in older adults.
  • Brief screening tools, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's two-question tool and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), are effective for assessing depression.
  • Certain medical conditions, including dementia and Parkinson's disease, are frequently comorbid with depression.
  • SSRIs and SNRIs are established first-line treatments, with potential to manage side effects for therapeutic benefit (e.g., weight gain in dementia patients).

Conclusions:

  • Primary care physicians must be adept at diagnosing and managing various forms of depression in older adults, beyond major depressive disorder.
  • Utilizing validated, brief screening tools is crucial for early detection.
  • Treatment strategies should consider comorbid medical conditions and potential for side effect optimization.