Articles related to Geriatrics

Published in its entirety in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and available here from Guideline Central, the AGS Beers Criteria® also includes a host of resources— from mobile apps to a pocket reference card. The five lists included describe particular medications with evidence suggesting they should be avoided, used in caution, or dosed differently.

An interesting case study in BRASH (bradycardia, renal failure, atrioventricular blockade, shock, and hyperkalemia) syndrome highlights Rare Disease Day, which took place on 2/28/22. After reviewing the patient’s history and symptoms, would you agree on the diagnosis?

The British Medical Journal reports that people who survive COVID-19 are at increased risk of an array of mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and opioid use disorder, cognitive decline, sleep disorders, and more. The authors recommend close monitoring of patients following infection and up-prioritizing managing their mental health disorders.

A study published in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine puts forward a new and systematic approach to diagnosing and managing orthostatic hypotension. The article notes that current approaches to evaluating and managing the disease are based on limited data, but that patients would benefit from more consistent diagnosis and treatment methods.

A new study has found that people with osteoporosis may experience less protection and be subject to more bone fractures when treated with the drug risedronate. Patients who were treated with risedronate during a drug holiday experienced more hip and other fractures than patients given other medications. Drug holidays are recommended after three to five years on therapy for most people taking bisphosphonates for osteoporosis. Risedronate, with its shorter half-life compared with alendronate, is associated with a somewhat higher risk of hip fracture during a drug holiday.

The GLOW study is a phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of ibrutinib plus venetoclax (I+V) in elderly or unfit CLL patients. Patients receiving I+V are compared to patients receiving chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab (C+O). Previously this study reported reduced risk of disease progression with I+V vs C+O. This update, presented at ASH 2021, looked at undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) – a surrogate for PFS. uMRD was significantly higher in both peripheral blood and bone marrow in the I+V group.