Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
05:59
High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: October 20, 2023
Methodological issues in pharmacotherapy research in older adults
Denise Orwig1, Nathaniel M Rickles, Linda Gore Martin
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 21201, USA. dorwig@epi.umaryland.edu
The American Journal of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy
|June 4, 2011
Summary
Research on pharmacotherapy in older adults faces challenges in study design, implementation, and adherence measurement. Strategies are needed to overcome these hurdles and improve medication use and outcomes in the aging population.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Aging populations necessitate greater understanding of pharmacotherapy in older adults.
- Older adults have higher medication use rates, increasing the need for tailored research.
- Historically underrepresented, older adults require more research to optimize medication benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss common challenges in research on pharmacotherapy in older adults.
- To provide strategies for overcoming these research challenges.
Main Methods:
- Searched multiple databases (PubMed, CINAHL, etc.) from 1976-2010.
- Used keywords: research, aged, elderly, older adult, geriatric.
- Included various academic and health-related literature sources.
Main Results:
- Identified challenges in study design (outcome measurement, analysis) and implementation (recruitment, consent, retention).
- Highlighted the importance of measuring medication adherence as a factor and confounder.
- Acknowledged that research challenges reflect aging complexities, including psychosocial aspects affecting participation and outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Recommendations aim to help researchers and clinicians overcome methodological challenges.
- Fostering more studies will critically evaluate pharmacotherapy and medication management.
- The ultimate goal is to maximize treatment outcomes for older adults.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Pharmacodynamics 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...
01:15Drug 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...
01:22Pharmacokinetics 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...
01:18Pharmacokinetics 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...
01:00Pharmacokinetics 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...
01:18Pharmacokinetics 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...