Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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The electrocardiograms of 1,171 patients above the age of 65 in a predominantly geriatric institution were reviewed to determine the incidence of tachyarrhythmias. Data on the overall incidence and the individual types of arrhythmias are presented. ⋯ Atrial fibrillation often was associated with other evidence of myocardial damage. The significance of sinus bradycardia and grade I A-V block in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation and the significance of the tachyarrhythmias are discussed.
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Chronic non-rheumatic pain in the aged should be viewed in the context of physiologic and clinical alterations due to aging which may create diagnostic problems. In the elderly, the abnormality of the clinical presentation and the patient's failure to remember the time and the nature of the precipitating incident may be extremely misleading. Many clinical features may also be altered by the aging process itself. ⋯ The prescription of combination preparations may involve use of a drug that is beneficial for one disorder but harmful for another. Aged persons display a marked tendency toward abnormal reactions to the usual drug regimens. A wise combination of treatment by medical means (including drugs), physiotherapy, and sometimes surgical procedures, usually is effective for the relief of this type of chronic pain.