Current Issue: Volume 20 - Number 1 - January 2012
Feature » Pain Management
Pharmacotherapy for Neuropathic Pain in the Elderly: Focus on Postherpetic Neuralgia
Neuropathic pain affects approximately 3.8 million individuals in the United States annually. Two of the most common forms of neuropathic pain are diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In this article, the authors discuss current pharmacotherapy for PHN, with a focus on prevention and combination therapy. In the previous issue of Clinical Geriatrics, the authors discussed pharmacotherapy for DPN. The aim of these two articles is to provide clinicians with a comprehensive overview of pharmacotherapy management so that treatments are properly prescribed and used, thus improving quality of life among elders with neuropathic pain.
Feature » Neurological Disorders and Diseases
Dementia and Palliative Care
Palliative care at the end of life is an interdisciplinary approach that applies a treatment philosophy of “coping,” rather than “curing,” for patients with an advanced or terminal illness. Despite shifting the focus away from finding a cure, the palliative approach does not exclude all disease-modifying therapies. In fact, the palliative continuum of care balances disease-modifying and palliative treatments based on an individualized treatment plan. In some cases, disease-modifying therapies represent the best method for reducing suffering. In this article, the authors discuss dementia as an example of a terminal condition in which palliative care practices can be helpful.
Feature » Nutrition in the Elderly
Vitamin B12: Considerations for Maintaining Optimum Health in Elders
Vitamin B12, a cobalt-containing, water-soluble compound, is one of eight naturally occurring B vitamins and is essential for maintaining normal hematologic and nervous system functions. The prevalence of Cbl deficiency, when defined as a serum or plasma concentration <148 pmol/L (200 pg/mL), increases with age and is estimated to affect 6% of adults 60 years and older. Cbl deficiency in elders is under-recognized in daily clinical practice, yet it can increase their risk of developing other diseases. This article, the second in a continuing series on nutrition in the elderly, reviews the causes and possible effects of insufficient Cbl levels in older adults and discusses the management of Cbl deficiency.
