Abstract

Lina Massoud*, Hala Al Agha, Mahmoud Taleb

ABSTRACT

In this century, aging of a population has emerged as a major demographic worldwide trend. Many changes in physiological and functional capacities of the body occur with old age. This can affect pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) status of drugs in elderly people, leading to clinically relevant consequences with regard to safety and efficacy. Increasing prevalence of diseases, as well as age independent factors like life style can further impact the pharmacological effects of drugs. In addition, there is a risk for modified PK and PD drug-drug interactions (DDIs) due to polypharmacy. This complexes drug therapy in elderly. The aim of this study is to review some PK and PD changes associated with aging and to give some general recommendations for appropriate drug prescribing in order to reach the safety use of drug therapy in elderly patients.