Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is a situation when an elderly person develops completely new ailments caused by … the conduct of medical personnel. In the case of seniors, this problem usually develops due to improper treatment of diseases that the senior already suffers from.

Geriatric iatrogenic syndromeis a problem that isn't much talked about. Meanwhile, it affects seniors much more often than one might suppose. It is not without reason that the geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is included in the group of large geriatric syndromes.

The geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is said to include when in an elderly person a new disease appears due to improper treatment of other, previously diagnosed, diseases. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome may therefore seem like a rather ridiculous problem. After all, it is absurd that treatment, instead of improving he alth, can lead to further he alth problems. Unfortunately, in practice, it is really not difficult to get this anomaly. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is happily preventable. But how to do it?

Contents:

  1. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: causes
  2. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: symptoms
  3. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: diagnosis
  4. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: treatment
  5. Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: prevention

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: causes

Iatrogenic may be encountered in any age group. Older people, however, are simply especially predisposed to it. This is due to several factors.

First of all, the body of an elderly person functions differently than that of a young person. For example, kidneys or liver work worse in it, which affects the metabolism and excretion of drugs, and ultimately is associated with the fact that taking various pharmaceuticals by an elderly person may be associated with a greater risk of their side effects.

Elderly people often suffer from many different disease entities, as a result of which they take quite large amounts of various pharmaceuticals. This can also cause the geriatric iatrogenic syndrome. The more drugsbecause a given patient takes, the greater the risk that there will be some adverse interactions between them. A particularly high risk of such a situation arises when the senior attends many different medical specialists and at the same time does not inform them about the exact medications prescribed to him by each of them.

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome may also appear more often in patients:

  • hospitalized - various he alth consequences may result from the immobilization of the patient, in addition, there is also a risk of, inter alia, nosocomial infections,
  • undergoing some surgery,
  • taking various types of herbal preparations on their own - many seniors believe that herbs are completely safe, while many of them (e.g. St. John's wort) may have significant interactions with the medications they take.

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: symptoms

It is impossible to list all the ailments that may be symptoms of geriatric iatrogenic syndrome. They depend on exactly what kind of abnormalities will be a consequence of not fully appropriate treatment. Most often, however, the geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is associated with:

  • imbalance
  • fluctuating blood pressure
  • disturbed heart rhythm
  • gastrointestinal bleeding
  • deterioration of the senior's daily functioning
  • weight loss
  • cognitive impairment

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: diagnosis

The diagnosis of geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is not really easy. Usually new ailments occurring in a senior are considered simply a symptom of a new disease entity that requires additional treatment. Due to the fact that the symptoms of the geriatric iatrogenic syndrome, which have not been previously seen in an elderly patient, it is always necessary to carefully analyze all the illnesses he suffers when he begins to complain about problems other than before. also take a look at the medications he's taking.

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: treatment

In the treatment of geriatric iatrogenic syndrome, the most important modifications are usually the pharmacotherapy that has been conducted in the elderly so far.

As an example, a situation where a person taking antiarrhythmic drugs (so far working properly) develops heart rhythm disturbances. Then, when it turns out that the patient was taking St. John's wort infusions with them, stopping the drug mayresult in the resolution of cardiac arrhythmias.

In the case of other geriatric iatrogenic syndromes, it may be helpful to reduce the doses of drugs or replace some of the medications taken by the elderly with those that will not interact with other medications taken by him.

Geriatric iatrogenic syndrome: prevention

As well as recognizing and preventing geriatric iatrogenic syndrome is not easy. However, it is possible.

The most important thing in this case is the exact planned pharmacological treatment in the elderly. Before introducing any new medication to the patient, pay attention to what medications he or she has taken so far and select a preparation that will not interact with them.

Attention should also be paid to the dosage of pharmaceuticals. In the elderly, especially those suffering from renal or hepatic dysfunction, drug doses should often be appropriately reduced.

In the case of those patients who are hospitalized, one should always avoid their immobilization for too long. They should be induced to be physically active. And when the patient is unable to move by himself, the risk of geriatric iatrogenic syndrome can be reduced through rehabilitation.

About the authorBow. Tomasz NęckiA graduate of the medical faculty at the Medical University of Poznań. An admirer of the Polish sea (most willingly strolling along its shores with headphones in his ears), cats and books. In working with patients, he focuses on always listening to them and spending as much time as they need.

Category:

Geriatrics