Liver dysfunction in geriatric patients

With increasing age in addition to alterations of the cardiovascular, neurocognitive and musculoskeletal systems, alterations also occur in hepatic organ function. As a result of morphological and functional age-related processes, progressive hepatic organ dysfunction can develop with increased vulnerability with respect to endogenous and exogenous noxious substances and impaired hepatic regenerative capacity. Frequent causes of liver dysfunction in the geriatric population include non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcoholic liver disease, viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis and drug-induced liver injury. The prompt initiation of adequate diagnostic measures for identification of the underlying etiology is important for timely initiation of appropriate treatment and to reduce the risk of progressive impairment of hepatic function and associated complications

Neurogeriatrics-a vision for improved care and research for geriatric patients with predominating neurological disabilities

Geriatric medicine is a rapidly evolving field that addresses diagnostic, therapeutic and care aspects of older adults. Some disabilities and disorders affecting cognition (e.g. dementia), motor function (e.g. stroke, Parkinson's disease, neuropathies), mood (e.g. depression), behavior (e.g. delirium) and chronic pain disorders are particularly frequent in old subjects. As knowledge about these age-associated conditions and disabilities is steadily increasing, the integral implementation of neurogeriatric knowledge in geriatric medicine and specific neurogeriatric research is essential to develop the field. This article discusses how neurological know-how could be integrated in academic geriatric medicine to improve care of neurogeriatric patients, to foster neurogeriatric research and training concepts and to provide innovative care concepts for geriatric patients with predominant neurological conditions and disabilities