Anti-inflammatory medicines in the elderly patient

Inflammatory and various non-inflammatory but painful disorders are frequently treated with anti-inflammatories. Although these medicines offer effective relief of pain and inflammation, the elderly patient is at particular risk of adverse effects from these medicines, complicated by concomitant treatments and underlying medical conditions. While low-dose aspirin should be considered for all patients in the secondary prevention of a cardiovascular event, the use of other anti-inflammatory medicines such as the NSAIDs and the selective COX-2 inhibitors requires health professionals to take a careful history so that they have the information needed to weigh the risks and benefits of anti-inflammatory therapy for individual patients.