Introduction As the prevalence of atherosclerosis increases with advancing age, it is hardly surprising that specialists in geriatric medicine frequently find vascular disease in their patients. For many, their overall degree of frailty is such that neither detailed investigation nor…
Introduction Definition Syncope is a transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) due to transient global cerebral hypoperfusion and is characterized by rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous complete recovery. TLOC is a term that encompasses all disorders characterized by self-limited loss…
Ventricular Arrhythmias The prevalence of complex ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in older adult patients without cardiovascular disease detected by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) was 50% in men and women, 31% in men and women, 30% in men and women, 20% in…
Introduction Demographic changes in most Westernized societies have highlighted the increasing number of older and very old (80+ years) adults in the global population, of whom over two thirds will have raised blood pressure (BP) levels. These elevated BP levels…
Introduction Despite a decline in recent decades in overall cardiovascular mortality in developed countries, the overall burden of cardiovascular disease remains substantial. The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD), acquired valvular heart disease (VHD), and heart failure (HF) increases with…
The most common cause of death in older adults is coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary atherosclerosis is very common in older adults, with autopsy studies demonstrating a prevalence of at least 70% in persons older than 70 years. The prevalence…
Cardiac failure increases in prevalence and incidence with age. It is a disease of middle and old age, although the underlying causes differ considerably with age. In younger patients with cardiac failure, the cause is frequently coronary artery disease or…
Although frailty in older adults may be associated with an underlying loss of complexity in many physiologic systems, the clinical conditions and geriatric syndromes that are commonly present in frail older adults are often highly complex. This clinical complexity, including…
Introduction In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the role for geriatric medicine specialists in the care of older surgical patients. This has been fueled in part by the increasing numbers of older people undergoing elective and…
Social assessment is an integral part of a comprehensive multidimensional assessment of older adult patients. Many studies on the effectiveness of comprehensive geriatric assessment include a social worker on the assessment team, whose mandate typically includes identifying and addressing social…