A Nonsystematic Review of the Features of Pharmacotherapy in the Elderly at the Stage of Taking Medications.

The human body is subservient to the age-related changes that affect not only the outer appearance but also organs and tissues. They also concern the processes of pharmacokinetics and dynamics. This means that the absorption, distribution, and metabolism of drugs used by an elderly patient will be slowed down. Therefore, it becomes necessary to prescribe a special dosing regimen for older people. An actual problem is also that, with age, many patients require more drugs than young people. This increases the risk of side effects because many drugs are difficult to combine with each other. Pharmacy of our time is a science that is constantly developing and modernizing, which allows changing therapy for the better: prescribing drugs in smaller quantities, with a smaller range of adverse reactions and a better effect. The aim of the work is to analyze the impact and relationship of older age on the pharmacotherapy of patients, as well as the risks of drug-induced diseases. To carry out this work, such research methods as analysis, synthesis, comparative analysis, classification, analogy, abstraction, induction, and generalization were used. The features of the stages of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the elderly were considered; we studied the data of clinical studies and literature in geriatrics; and the effects of a combination or increase in the dosage of drugs have been noted. After the collection of research data and the analysis, it turned out that it is real and necessary to avoid the negative consequences of pharmacotherapy in elderly and senile patients. Considering the natural age-related changes in the condition and functioning of organs and systems, constantly monitoring the effectiveness of drugs and undesirable reactions of the body to them, adjusting treatment protocols will have a favorable result and help optimize pharmacotherapy for the elderly and reduce the risk of side effects and diseases caused by medications.

Pain in People with Advanced Dementia: The Opinions of Kazakh Medical Students.

PURPOSE: The medical students' attitude toward pain in people with advanced dementia, while constituting an important factor in care, has rarely been assessed to date. The aim of our study was thus to perform such assessment in medical students in Kazakhstan, to enable an improvement of the existing curriculum (like we previously did in Poland). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the knowledge about pain using a short anonymous questionnaire, which was completed by 112 students of the Medical University of Aktobe, Kazakhstan. RESULTS: On average, students listed symptoms of 1.4 ± 1.2 (out of 6 analyzed) pain areas (median 2.0). The symptoms related to changes in mental status were suggested the most often (57 students: 50.9%). The students who indicated these symptoms also listed a higher number of symptoms from the remaining domains (1,1 ± 1.0 [median 1.0] vs 0.6 ± 0.8 [median 0.0]; p<0.01). Observational methods in the assessment of the severity of pain in people with dementia were indicated by 44 students (39.3%), but only one participant (0.9%) was able to name an observational scale for pain assessment. Correct answers regarding pain treatment rules were presented by 18 students (16.0%), and the answers of the next 47 participants (42.0%) were very general but suggested the same treatment no matter what the cognitive status. CONCLUSION: The study revealed gaps in the knowledge of Kazakh medical students regarding pain in advanced stages of dementia. Demographic changes, combined with the coexistence of pain with dementia, indicate that medical students worldwide must have sufficient knowledge and skills to adequately care for the continually growing number of people with these conditions. It is imperative in countries like Kazakhstan, where the dementia burden was unrecognized until now, but it will blow up in the near future.