Geriatrics: a selected up-to-date bibliography

This is the second annual revision of the Geriatrics Bibliography. Approximately two thirds of the old references have been replaced by more current or more detailed articles. The bibliography has been expanded to include several additional topics and over 200 new references. Since the literature pertinent to geriatrics is growing ever more rapidly, it has been necessary to omit many informative articles from the bibliography. Almost all of the references date from the past four years. Preference is given to recent publications, since they provide a list of the important earlier articles. Some articles were selected to highlight current controversies or changes in viewpoint. An occasional review article is cited to amplify geriatric aspects of common diseases. Most of the references deal specifically with an elderly patient population, studies of which, it will be noted, are confounded by questions of "normal" aging as opposed to the concomitants of aging frequent in our society: inactivity, obesity, malnutrition, and psychosocial trauma. A few articles concern diseases remarkably common in the aged but for which no adequate study specifically from a geriatric viewpoint exists; e.g., monoclonal gammopathy, Paget's disease, pulmonary emboli. The references are divided into categories. The first (I) set deals with some possible causes of aging, the second (II) with physiologic decline accompanying aging, the third (III) with the atypical and nonspecific characteristics of illness among geriatric patients, and the fourth (IV) with non-physician services available to the elderly, including ethical quandaries. The remainder of the references are cited by pertinent medical specialty. Within each category, references are divided by disease process. Articles are further subgrouped by aspects of those diseases such as evaluation or therapy.