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Recommendations for Classes of Medications in Older Adults

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Effective Treatments for Pain in the Older Patient

Abstract

While chronic pain is one of the most prevalent conditions found in elderly patients, few studies investigating the effects of analgesic drugs have been performed specifically in older people. In a recent literature review, eight studies were found which evaluated the prevalence of “current” pain in older people. This review found that 20–46% of older people living in the general community and 28–73% of those living in residential care had “current” pain [1]. Another study estimated that 45–85% of elderly patients experience moderate-to-severe chronic pain [2].

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Correspondence to Adam J. Carinci .

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Carinci, A.J., Pritzlaff, S., Moore, A. (2019). Recommendations for Classes of Medications in Older Adults. In: Cordts, G., Christo, P. (eds) Effective Treatments for Pain in the Older Patient. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8827-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8827-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8827-3

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