Atrial Fibrillation affects approximately 2.3 million people in the United States and is the most common rhythm disorder among U.S. patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of an cardiac arrhythmia. The median age of Atrial Fibrillation patients is 75 years; 84% are older than 65 years. Pooled data from studies of chronic Atrial Fibrillation in North America, Britain, and Iceland suggest a prevalence of 0.5% to 1% in the general population. (more…)

Many clinical features of hypothyroidism are commonly found in the elderly, despite negligible changes in plasma thyroid hormone levels. These symptoms may reflect the decreased intracellular uptake of T 3 and alterations in gene activation/deactivation that are observed with aging. (more…)

The systemic benefits of exogenous Growth Hormone therapy in the healthy elderly remain unclear and controversial. Studies have not been able to demonstrate a clear anabolic effect of replacement of Growth Hormone in elderly subjects, possibly because Growth Hormone replacement cannot completely correct the alterations in binding recommended proteins. (more…)

Osteoporosis is disease affecting the bones, making them fragile and prone to fracture. Osteoporosis is defined as a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioraton of bone mass tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by mass loss of the normal density of bone. (more…)

Many studies have shown that antibiotic drugs are often prescribed unnecessary or inappropriate. Drugs for elderly (geriatric drugs) has certainly contributed to the growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics in the elderly. As a group, elderly patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities are the main beneficiaries of antibiotics. One consequence is the promotion of the strain and the distribution of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics. (more…)

When we have a very ill loved one, it occupies our thoughts constantly. Our mind has a way of sifting through the information that we hear from their medical providers, rejecting the negative and holding tight to the positive. Even when confronted with the information that our loved one’s situation is dire, we may continue to refuse to see death as a possibility. (more…)