Clinical Pharmacology in the Elderly: Reference Ranges and Biological Variations After Repeated Measurements

di Hans-Peter Breuel (Autore)

Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG, 1995

The appropriate and rational use of drugs by the elderly is a matter of growing medical and social concern. Persons aged 65 years and older constitute about 12%-15% of the population in the Western world, and the total number of the elderly will increase significantly in the coming years. This population accounts for 30% of all the prescription drugs used. Aging, specifically the transition from middle to old age, is a complex process. From the perspective of clinical pharmacology, these pathophysiological changes may reasonably be expected to alter responsiveness to drugs. The age-related differences in response to drugs can arise from alterations in pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics. This makes it mandatory that clinical pharma­ cological studies be carried out in the elderly during extended phase I studies. The older the population likely to use the drug, the more important it is to include the very old. It is also important not to exclude .... :''lecessarily patients with concomitant illnesses; it is only by observing, such patients that drug-disease interactions can be detected. Reports from surveillance systems have greatly increased our awareness of problems associated with drug therapy in old age.

• Autore: Hans-Peter Breuel
• Editore: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG
• Anno: 1995
• Rilegatura: Paperback / softback
• Pagine: 182 p.
• Dimensioni: 235 x 155 mm
• EAN: 9783540594956

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