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Related Concept Videos

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients01:15

Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients

368
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...
368
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism01:18

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism

356
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...
356
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution01:00

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution

353
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...
353
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age01:27

Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age

340
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...
340
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption01:22

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption

817
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...
817
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion01:18

Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion

330
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...
330

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Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Semi-Targeted Ultra-High-Performance Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Phenolic Metabolites in Plasma of Elderly Adults
14:39

Semi-Targeted Ultra-High-Performance Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Phenolic Metabolites in Plasma of Elderly Adults

Published on: April 22, 2022

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[Polypharmacy to the elderly prevails].

Aska Drljevic-Nielsen1, Torben Laursen

  • 1Klinisk Farmakologisk Afdeling. Aarhus Universitetshospital, Vilhelm Meyers Allé 4, 8000 Aarhus C. tl@biomed.au.dk.

Ugeskrift for Laeger
|March 20, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications in older adults, poses significant health risks due to altered drug processing. Individualized medication reviews are crucial for safe and effective treatment in the elderly.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Semi-Targeted Ultra-High-Performance Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Phenolic Metabolites in Plasma of Elderly Adults
14:39

Semi-Targeted Ultra-High-Performance Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Phenolic Metabolites in Plasma of Elderly Adults

Published on: April 22, 2022

4.6K

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Aging increases the risk of chronic diseases, often necessitating multiple medications (polypharmacy).
  • Polypharmacy in the elderly presents unique challenges, including altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
  • It is associated with poor adherence, drug interactions, adverse drug reactions, and increased mortality and hospitalization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the challenges of polypharmacy in the elderly.
  • To emphasize the need for structured, individualized medication reviews.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on polypharmacy in older adults.
  • Discussion of established guidelines like Beers criteria and STOPP/START criteria.

Main Results:

  • Polypharmacy in the elderly is linked to numerous adverse outcomes.
  • Current guidelines offer support but are insufficient on their own.

Conclusions:

  • Structured, individualized medical reviews are essential for managing elderly patients on multiple medications.
  • These reviews are critical to mitigate the risks associated with polypharmacy.