Could Modern Medicine Be Harming Older Patients?

Medically speaking, if you are above the age of 65, you are considered an "older adult." On conducting rounds on the cardiology unit, I find it rare to see anyone less than 65 years of age. If someone below 50 years old gets admitted, they are almost considered "pediatric" from a cardiovascular perspective. Such observations reflect the realities of modern medicine. Patients are older, more frail, have multiple co-morbidities, and have complex social issues. During the next 25 years, the population age greater than 85 years will be more than double -- from 6.3 million in 2015 to 14.1 million by 2040. Yet for my older patients, when I prescribe medications for my heart failure, or use blood thinners to treat those who come in with heart attacks, I become wary. Many commonly used drugs have serious side effects such as increased risk of bleeding, renal failure, life-threatening electrolyte disturbances, and dangerous arrhythmias. Surprisingly, many of these drugs have never actually been tested in older patients. As a result, it is unclear if these drugs have any benefit or if they can cause serious harm in older adults. Recently, I had a chance to discuss some of these issues with Dr. Karen Alexander, a cardiologist at the Duke Clinical Research Institute. Her research focuses on geriatric cardiology and she is currently on the leadership of the American College of Cardiology Geriatrics Council. She recently wrote an editorial on drug development in older patients. I asked if...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news