The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women approaches 43%, and age is an important correlate. The underlying etiology of sexual dysfunction in women is complex. Nevertheless, hormonal changes such as loss of estrogens and androgens contribute significantly to some of the sexual difficulties experienced by aging women. (more…)

Altered cellular metabolism and intracellular and intercellular signaling with advancing age result in widespread changes in endocrine function. Several mechanisms interact in most systems to bring about the observed changes. Aging is associated with anatomic changes of the endocrine glands. In addition, with age, changes in hormone secretion occur, including alterations in circadian or seasonal biorhythms, changes in pulsatile frequency or amplitude of hormone secretion, as well as absolute changes in mean serum hormonal levels. (more…)

Altered cellular metabolism and intracellular and intercellular signaling with advancing age result in widespread changes in endocrine function. Several mechanisms interact in most systems to bring about the observed changes. Aging is associated with anatomic changes of the endocrine glands. In addition, with age, changes in hormone replacement secretion occur, including alterations in circadian or seasonal biorhythms, changes in pulsatile frequency or amplitude of growth hormone secretion, as well as absolute changes in mean serum hormonal levels. The three main hormone systems that show decline with age are the gonadal hormones (menopause and andropause), the adrenal steroids DHEA and DHEA-S (adrenopause), and the GH/IGF-1 axis (somatopause). (more…)

Complications of Adverse Drug Reactions may include hospitalization, increased hospital stays and health care expenditures, morbidity, and death. The incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions varies by type of health care setting (e.g., ambulatory clinic, hospital, nursing home). In a cohort of older Medicare enrollees, the rate of Adverse Drug Reactions was 50.1 per 1,000 person years. In long-term care facilities, the rates of Adverse Drug Reactions were reported as 1.9 to 9.8 per 100 resident-months. Adverse Drug Reactions are a common cause of hospital admission of older adults and were responsible for 6% to 24% of all hospital admissions. Of all Adverse Drug Reactions, 23% to 28% were categorized as serious.

Approximately one quarter to one half of Adverse Drug Reactions are considered to be preventable. Errors are most likely to occur at the time of prescribing a medication or during monitoring of therapy. Prescribing errors include choosing an inappropriate medication, prescribing a medication that interacts with another medication in the individual’s regimen, and prescribing a drug in the face of an established drug allergy. Errors in monitoring of therapy may include failing to obtain necessary laboratory values to monitor drug therapy and not responding promptly to signs, symptoms, or laboratory evidence of drug toxicity.

Many researchers have attempted to identify risk factors for Adverse Drug Reactions, an endeavor that has been disappointing. The most persistent risk factor for Adverse Drug Reactions is use of multiple medications; thus, it is important that patients be maintained on the fewest number of medications needed to manage their health conditions. Researchers have not found Adverse Drug Reactions to vary substantially according to age or sex. Several factors are important to keep in consideration to minimize Adverse Drug Reactions, even though they have not been identified as independent risk factors. (more…)

In many instances, the symptoms listed below are the result of relatively minor disorders as elderly. However, they can also represent the early signs of serious chronic disease in older adults, and they should be investigated promptly by your doctor. (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…)

Social scientists have begun serious research in this vital area and only recently has the subject been covered openly. To measure your knowledge in this subject, answer the questions on the following pretest. (more…)