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Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Elderly

  • Therapy In Practice
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Abstract

Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is generally considered a disease of young adults, it can occur in elderly individuals. The clinical features and treatment considerations in older patients are similar to those in younger patients, with some notable exceptions, which are reviewed in this article. Consideration of appropriate differential diagnoses is critical in older IBD patients to achieve the correct diagnosis and appropriate therapy. The risks associated with use of some IBD medications may be increased in older patients, but so is the risk of under-treated IBD and surgery. Therefore, in older IBD patients, as in younger patients, a thorough understanding of the indications, contraindications, and potential adverse effects of the various medications used to treat the condition is essential.

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Acknowledgements

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article. Darrell Pardi has acted as a consultant to Salix and has received grants from Salix, Procter & Gamble and AstraZeneca. Syed Hussain has no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

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  1. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA

    Syed Wasif Hussain &  Darrell S. Pardi

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  1. Syed Wasif Hussain
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Correspondence to Darrell S. Pardi.

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Hussain, S.W., Pardi, D.S. Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Elderly. Drugs Aging 27, 617–624 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2165/11537340-000000000-00000

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