Carmen Cristescu 1, Maria Suciu 1, Mirela Voicu 1, Liana Drăgan 2, B. Bumbăcilă 1, Liana Suciu 1
1 Pharmacology – Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeş” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara
2 Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeş” University of Medicine and
Pharmacy, Timişoara
Abstract
Elder patients are cumulating multiple risk factors that are exposing them more for druginduced iatrogenic events: physiological variations associated to the ageing process, multiple morbidities and multiple medications-taking, are frequent in aged people and can significantly modify the pharmacological properties of the used drugs. Different interactions between these factors are responsible for a high prevalence and for a potential severity of the iatrogenic pathology in this age category. Most of the undesired consequences in patients over 65 years old can be avoided if the clinical situations and the high-risk drugs are pre-identified. For an optimization of the medical prescription in elderly process some of the following measures are to be taken: evaluating of the benefit/risk ratio for each of the recommended drugs, follow-up evaluating and regular updating of the chronic prescription, ranking the therapeutic goals taking into account the evolution of the disorder, its symptoms and their impact on the patient and the etiological or preventing character of the drugs being used. Also, a better therapeutic co-operation between the prescription-writers (general practitioners and specialists) who are consulting and prescribing for the same patient seems to be indispensable.