Anti-inflammatory medicines in the elderly patient

Abstract

Inflammatory and various non-inflammatory, but painful, disorders are frequently treated with anti-inflammatories. Although these medicines offer effective relief of pain and inflammation, the elderly patient is at particular risk of the adverse effects of these drugs, complicated by concomitant treatments and underlying medical conditions. While low-dose aspirin should be considered for all patients for the secondary prevention of a cardiovascular event, the use of other anti-inflammatory medicines, such as the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the selective COX-2 inhibitors, requires that health professionals take a careful history, so that they have the information needed to weigh up the risks and benefi ts of anti-infl ammatory therapy for individual patients.