Normal aging vs disease in the elderly

It is important to differentiate normal aging from a disease process in the elderly. Normal aging must not be equated with "no treatment required." Conversely, all disease processes in the elderly must not mean "treatment required." The decision to treat elderly patients should be made on an individual basis and must be considered in relation to age, quality of life, benefit-risk ratio, presence or absence of symptoms, and the multiplicity of diseases in each patient.