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It is becoming increasingly apparent that inflammatory bowel disease affects not only the young adult population, but the elderly as well. New onset disease is reported to occur as late as the seventh and eighth decades of life. Therapeutic interventions for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are similar in both younger as well as geriatric patients; however, careful consideration must be given to comorbid illnesses in the latter group of individuals. Mainstays in therapy include the aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunosuppresants, and antimicrobial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The failure to intervene or to have intervention recommendations accepted when drug therapy problems occur in the geriatric patient can have serious personal and economic consequences. A case of both lack of intervention and failure to accept recommendations is provided by a consultant pharmacist. Intervention failure resulted in excess of $50,000 in unnecessary health system costs due to three preventable hospitalizations and a 6-month nursing facility stay. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most prevalent gastropathy in the geriatric patient. The treatment of GERD is placed into three phases: lifestyle modifications, increase LES pressure/decrease acid output and surgical intervention. The treatment modalities include dietary changes, mechanical position changes, and pharmacotherapy with antacids, alginic acid-antacid, sucralfate, and acid suppression medications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Marie A. Chisholm and Mark W. Jackson on gastroesophageal reflux disease and another by James W. Cooper and William E. Wade on gastrointestinal drug therapy.