Pain Management in the Elderly

Managing Chronic Pain in Special Populations with Emphasis on Pediatric, Geriatric, and Drug Abuser Populations

“…Persistent pain may lead to frailty, compromising general health and functional status (Shega et al, 2012; Shega et al, 2013). Although pain management can be successfully implemented for the majority of older adults, pain remains undertreated in the oldest old, African Americans and ethnic minorities as well as individuals with cognitive impairment (Malec & Shega, 2015). Overall, older adults are less likely to receive analgesics compared to young adult patients despite the significant ramifications to general health and well-being (Hwang et al, 2014).…”

In vivo and in vitro interaction studies of ibuprofen with enalapril

“…But in aged patients, the chances of interaction of multiple drugs were more than young patients. Both analgesic and antihypertensive drugs were prescribed together in elderly patients because hypertension and simultaneous musculoskeletal tribulations were two common conditions [11,12].…”

Assessment and Measurement of Pain in Adults in Later Life

“…6,15 Pain assessment from a prevention perspective should be given as much attention as other primary preventive actions, such as vaccinations, in older adults.…”

“…36 These measures have been tested in diverse older adult populations, and the Faces Pain Scale-revised, VDS, and IPT-r are the most preferred tools. 6 For older adults with hearing impairments, a visual pain scale, such as the FPS-r, with written instructions may be appropriate; a verbal scale (eg, verbal NRS or VDS) can be used with patients with vision deficits.…”

“…3,4 This article describes a focused pain assessment for the older adult able to provide a reliable report of pain (Table 1). 5 Readers interested in learning more about the components of a comprehensive pain assessment should read Malec and Shega's 6 recent review on this topic.…”