[Pharmacokinetics and -dynamics of calcium antagonists in the elderly]

The therapeutic effect of a drug is determined by various properties and parameters. Both dose and pharmacodynamics determine the amount of active agent or its metabolites--and thus their effects--at the site of action. With increasing age, both pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics can change. Differences in action in old age may be due to changes in the number and sensitivity of binding sites or to other physiological changes associated with aging. Pharmacokinetics processes (clearance, distribution) are commonly affected by aging. Clinico-pharmacological studies involving calcium antagonists, for example verapamil, diltiazem and nifedipine, have been performed in the elderly by a number of authors.