Via practica 1/2015

A multimorbid elderly from the perspective of a gastroenterologist

It is not surprising that, with the increasing age of the population, patients of older age are also increasingly encountered in gastroenterological practice who exhibit significant comorbidities while having dyspepsia or other gastrointestinal symptomatology. In addition to malignancy of the alimentary canal and of the subhepatic region the incidence of which increases rapidly after sixty years of age, the differential diagnosis must also include some specific conditions associated with older age. Moreover, the whole situation in the elderly is complicated by comorbidities that, in the case of deterioration, can induce dominant symptomatology only related to the alimentary canal. The majority of elderly patients take multiple drugs some of which may, due to their side effects, not only adversely affect the functioning of the digestive system, but also lead to drug interactions with drugs used for the treatment of impaired digestion.

Keywords: multimorbid patient, drug interactions, diseases in the elderly.