Geriatric Medicine

The surgical treatment of cataract has seen great advances over the past decade, revolutionising the delivery of care to patients with this condition. The prevalence of cataract is greatest among the elderly and they have much to gain from…

Each year the number of heart failure patients rises with an annual increase in new patients of 10 per cent. Prevention of heart failure is therefore an important goal but physicians are currently not doing enough in this regard. Every…

Early diagnosis and intensive treatment to maintain optimal glycaemic control reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with type 2 diabetes. To sustain glucose concentrations as near normal as possible - and make the Quality and…

Coagulopathies cause a predisposition to thrombosis and therefore an increased risk of ischaemic stroke. Although the frequency of coagulopathies in patients with stroke is low, the yield for diagnosing coagulopathies is typically greatest…

A consultation document is soon to be published that will give hotel-style ratings to care homes for older people. While this change is promising, Dr Eamon Fottrell illustrates by example how older people with psychiatric problems and their…

The Better Metrics Project is supported by the Healthcare Commission and involves the development of performance measures that are of particular relevance to front line clinicians €” existing metrics specific to older people's services are…

The discovery of dopamine deficiency as a cause of the disability of Parkinson's disease has led to an era of successful dopaminergic therapy. Professor Jeremy Playfer provides an overview of the evolution of dopamine agonists and their…

Fracture of the neck of femur, or hip fracture, is common in frail elderly patients with multiplecomorbidities. Collaboration between orthopaedic surgeons, geriatricians, and other members of themultidisciplinary team should be sought to…

Chronic kidney disease is a common and impending global health problem. This review discusses itsburden, its classification using an estimate of glomerular filtration rate, and how early managementparallels that of cardiovascular risk…

Self-reported back pain is common at any age; however, as a new symptom in elderly people it requirescareful assessment because it may signal a serious disorder. The challenge is to maintain clinicalvigilance for detection of cancer,…

Bilateral stroke is an extremely rare event. In a study of 1,838 patients, bilateral anterior infarctionaccounted for only 0·27% of stroke patients. We report the case of an 84-year-old woman who presentedwith bifrontal haemorrhagically…

Stroke is a major complication in patients with diabetes and hypertension. Patients should be made aware of the complications and the importance of stroke-prevention strategies. Patients with diabetes and hypertension should be treated…

Apomorphine was first synthesised in 1869, and has been used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease for morethan 50 years. It is a potent non-selective dopamine agonist. Current use is restricted to patients with advancedParkinson's…

We report a case of spontaneous intramural haematoma in an elderly woman.

We report on a patient with acute-onset facial and bulbar palsy that deteriorated within a weekneeding ventilatory support. He was initially treated for Guillain-Barre syndrome in view of the acuteonset and non-fluctuating course of…