Geriatrics

The controlled processes that provide functional integration between cells and organs are impaired in the elderly persons. As a result, there occur failures to maintain homeostasis under physiological stress conditions. In the advancing age, the important pharmacokinetic as well as pharmacodynamics properties are tremendously changed. In elderly patients failure to maintain the pharmacokinetic changes include decreased absorption of number of drugs, increase in volume of distribution of drugs, decrease hepatic and renal clearances where as pharmacodynamic changes involve usually altered sensivity to number of classes of drugs such as cardiovascular, anticoagulants and psychotropic drugs. The inappropriate medication use is a major health care issue for the elderly population. Beers criteria were developed in 1991 to define inappropriate medication use of elderly. By developing these new criteria, a clear picture emerged for a list of medications with questionable benefit and/or significant risk that should be avoided in older adults.