Geriatrics Flashcards
What are the 3 theories of ageing?
Stochastic
Programmed
Homeostasis failure
What is the stochastic theory of ageing?
Cumulative damage in cells with occurring randomly leading to replicative errors
What is the programmed theory of ageing?
Predetermined changes in gene expression at different points in life
Outline some of the etiological theories with regards to ageing
- Improved screening outcomes
- increased resource availability
- increased availability of resources and economic availability
- more people survive a major event and have several co-morbidities (better outcomes for surgery, stroke and cardiac disease)
What is classed as primary ageing?
Arthritis
Reduced GFR
What is Classed as secondary ageing?
accumulating more time at risk of certain diseases
Outline the functional decline in the pathophysiology of ageing
% of maximum function declines with age but this varies a lot between individuals and this variability increases with age
- EVIDENCE GAP for >80 yo
most drugs used to treat elderly are not actually trialled in elderly
What is the effect of ageing on the renal system?
- Decreased creatinine clearance so decreased GFR
- BUT less creatinine to clear as less muscle mass
What is the effect of ageing on the CVS system?
- Increased systolic BP, decreased diastolic BP
- decreased CO
What is the effect of ageing on the respiratory system?
- Decreased peak flow and gas exchange
- decreased lung function tests e.g. FVC, TV, VC
- Weakening of resp muscles
- decreased effectiveness of defence mechanisms
Outline the definition of frailty
- Cycle of decline, crisis, admission and reablement
- A SUSCEPTIBILITY STATE that leads to a person being more likely to lose function in the face of a given environmental challenge
3 or more of the these = the frailty phenotype
- Unintentional WL
- Exhaustion
- Weak grip strength
- Low physical activity
- Slow walking speed
What are the 4 frailty syndromes (system failure presentations)?
- Falls
- Immobility
- Functional loss
- Delirium
What is the aim of a comprehensive geriatric assessment?
Assessment & management of illness in the frail elderly with a PERSON/GOAL CENTRED approach (multi-dimensional)
What kind of things are included in a CGA?
- preserve autonomy - goal centredness
- deal with multi-morbidities and competing clinical priorities
- determine problems and identify what is reversible or can be improved
- produce management plan
- MDT
- improves outcomes and earlier discharge
What are the affected health domains in ageing the?
- Medical
- Psychological
- Functional
- Behavioural
- Social
- Environmental
- Nutritional
- Societal
- Spiritual (person centred care)
Describe the link between frailty and dyshomeostasis
- Frailty = progressive dyshomeostasis
- impaired function of ANY organ makes maintenance of a steady state more difficult
What is senescence?
Impaired organ function so dyshomeostasis so susceptibility to environmental stress and frailty
What medical aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- Reversible or irreversible
- Multi-morbidity
- Iatrogenic harm
- Curable (infection or iatrogenic)
- Physiological (normal ageing) or pathological (disease)
What psychological aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- Mood - low mood or anxiety
- Cognition - dementia or delirium
- Confidence - fear of falling syndrome
What functional aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- Mobility
- ADLs - transfers, mobility, toileting, washing, dressing, meal prep, feeding
- community living skills
What behavioural aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- determinants e.g. smoking
- activities/hobbies
- occupation
What social aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- support networks: practical/emotional, formal/informal
- potential for abuse (financial/physical/ sexual/ neglect)
What environmental aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- Housing and heating
- Sanitation
- Adaptations
What nutritional aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- MUST screening tool
- Poor health and poor nutrition lead to one another
What societal aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- Political/regulations
- attitudes
- technological advances
What spiritual aspects of health are covered in the CGA?
- Bigger picture, what is important to you
- project self-image
- meaning in life
- what is important to you
What are the benefits of being admitted to hospital as an elderly person?
- clinical expertise
- complex tests and interventions
- rapid access to supervised care and support
What are the risks of being admitted to hospital as an elderly person?
- Disorientation and delirium
- learned dependency
- deconditioning
- iatrogenic harm
- healthcare associated infection
How is absorption affected in older people (pharmacokinetics)?
- reduced RATE of action but NOT extent (delayed onset)
- Levodopa = exception - quicker to peak plasma level due to less metabolism in saliva
How is distribution affected in older people (pharmacokinetics)?
- changes in body composition
- increased adipose tissue - increases Vd, T1/2 and duration for fat soluble drugs
- decreased body water - decreased Vd and increased serum levels for water double drugs
- changes to protein binding - reduced binding and increased serum levels of acidic drugs
- increased serum levels of highly protein bound drugs
How is metabolism affected in older people? (pharmacokinetics)
- Reduced liver mass and blood flow - increased toxicity
- reduced 1st pass metabolism - different bioavailability of certain drugs
How is excretion affected in older people (pharmacokinetics)?
Renal function declines so reduced clearance and increased half-life - Increased TOXICITY
Outline the changes in pharmacodynamics in the elderly
Increased sensitivity due to
1) changes in receptor binding
2) reduced receptor number
Altered translation of receptor-initiated response to biochemical reaction
What is Beer’s criteria?
Inappropriate drugs for older people
but has many weaknesses
What prescribing tools are there for prescribing in the elderly?
- Beer’s criteria
- Polypharmacy guidance
- START-STOPP criteria
What is START-STOPP criteria?
Tool used in prescribing for elderly
Optimisation advice
e.g. stop codeine for diarrhoea as may mask gastroenteritis, start a fibre supplement in diverticular disease
Which drugs are a falls risk?
- Tolterodone - anticholinergic
- Bendroflumethiazide - hyponatraemia, hypotension
- Omeprazole - hyponatraemia, osteoporosis
- Sertraline - orthostatic hypotension, hyponatraemia
What are the central side effects of anticholinergics?
- Memory impairment
- Confusion
- Agitation
- Disorientation
- Delirium
- Hallucinations
- Falls
What are the peripheral side effects of anticholinergics?
- Dry mouth and eyes
- Constipation
- Visual accommodation problems and pupil dilatation
- Urinary retention
- Decreased sweating
- Inhibition of penile erection
Outline the problems with psychiatric drugs in the elderly
- care treating agitation
- Benzos have increased effects wrt falls, sedation and confusion
- anti-psychotics can cause postural hypotension, stroke, confusion and movement disorders
- Anti-depressants less effective and more dangerous
- sedatives are problematic
Outline the problems with analgesia in the elderly
- Opioids are more sensitive so given in lower doses (but may be less sensitive to tramadol and pethidine)
- NSAIDs - increased SEs of renal impairment and GI upset/bleeding
Outline the problems with antibiotics in the elderly
- Increased SE:C diff, diarrhoea
- Co-trimazole causes delirium
- Quinolones cause seizures/delirium
- Aminoglycosides contraindicated due to renal impairment
- Blood dyscrasia (trimethoprim, co-trimox)
Outline the problems with cardio drugs in the elderly
- DIGOXIN - increased toxicity
- DIURETICS - reduced peak effect and reduced clearance, cause continence and immobility
- Anti-hypertensives have exaggerated effect on BP and HR
- Anti-coags - more sensitive to Warfarin, great risk from Warfarin - GI bleed, falls
How may a frail person present with hyperthyroidism compared to a normal person?
Frail: depression, CI, weakness, A Fib, HF, angina
Not frail: tremor, anxiety, WL, diarrhoea