Side effects of treatment
Older people are more likely to be on medication for more than one condition, (poly-pharmacy) and, apart from the side effects of the medication there is the likelihood of interactions from the medication combinations and the effects of medications on existing physical conditions.
Examples are:
ACE Inhibitors in older people may induce a profound fall in blood pressure, and should be introduced with caution, especially if they are already taking diuretics.
Older people are more susceptible to collapsing and falling, than younger persons. There are other factors involved in why they fall, but medicines may also play a role, for example:
They are more likely to be taking diuretics, therefore have electrolyte imbalance, or have impaired kidney function.
If a person has congestive heart failure, the impact of diuretic use would be much greater in a person who has urinary problems (for example, incontinence of urine, or frequency and poor stream, due to enlargement of the prostate gland) than one who has not.
Other useful links
- The effects of ageing
- Normal ageing
- Ageing and disease
- Clinical features
- Effects of multiple conditions
- Case example
