Browse Geriatrics/Aging Articles by Topic

Recombinant Herpes Zoster Vaccine in a Medicare Population

Receipt of adjuvanted recombinant herpes zoster vaccine was effective in individuals older than 64 years of age and maintained its efficacy in immunocompromised individuals. Added benefit accrued from receipt of the second vaccine dose, even if its administration was delayed.

Acupuncture to Treat Low Back Pain in Older Adults

A multisite, three-arm, parallel-group randomized clinical trial of older adults in the United States with chronic low back pain found improvement in both pain and disability with the addition of acupuncture treatment compared to usual medical care alone.

Can Vitamin D Supplementation Slow Cellular Aging?

In a large randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, vitamin D3 supplementation modestly but significantly slowed the rate of leukocyte telomere shortening over four years.

Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Late-Life Brain Health

The major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are delineated in Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), developed by the American Heart Association. These risk factors are blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, diet, and sleep duration. The investigators in this analysis of two large databases in the United Kingdom and the United States demonstrated that cardiovascular health, as defined by the LE8, will also predict brain health later in life.

Acute Abdominal Pain in Older Adults

Abdominal pain is a common chief complaint for patients presenting to an emergency department. This article will discuss history and physical exam findings, diagnostic tools, and analgesia, as well as several, but not all, pathologies that can cause acute abdominal pain in an older adult.

Biomarker Profiles of Those Living to Age 100 Years

Among 1,224 participants who lived to their 100th birthday, there were higher levels of total cholesterol and iron, and lower levels of glucose, creatinine, uric acid, liver enzymes, and alkaline phosphatase compared with non-centenarians. These differences were seen as early as age 65 years.

Is Planned Complete Revascularization After Myocardial Infarction Wise for Older Patients?

Among patients at least age 75 years presenting with acute myocardial infarction and multivessel coronary disease, physiology-guided complete revascularization led to a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events at one year vs. culprit lesion-only percutaneous coronary intervention.

The Degree of Pyuria Can Help Determine Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly Women

Elderly women with a urinary tract infection recorded a higher median number of urinary leukocytes compared to uninfected controls, including those with asymptomatic bacteriuria. For 264 leukocytes/µL, the sensitivity and specificity of microscopy were 88%. Using the standard pyuria threshold of 10 leukocytes/µL gave a specificity of 36% and a sensitivity of 100%.

Reconsidering Aspirin Therapy for Elderly Patients

A post-hoc analysis of the ASPREE trial revealed that in presumably healthy elderly subjects, taking low-dose aspirin daily over three years was associated with a significant drop in hemoglobin and ferritin levels vs. placebo, even when patients with major bleeding events were excluded.

Biden Administration Releases 10 Drugs for Price Negotiation

Medications represent 20% of the total Medicare Part D gross covered prescription costs.