Adverse effects of unconventional therapies in the elderly: A systematic review of the recent literature.

Journal of the American Aging Association Pub Date : 2002-01-01 DOI:10.1007/s11357-002-0002-3

E Ernst

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Abstract

Unconventional therapies are increasingly popular, not least in populations of elderly individuals. This review summarizes the evidence regarding the risk unconventional therapies may entail for the elderly. Computerized literature searches were performed to locate all reports with original data on this topic. Most of the evidence found was anecdotal by nature and thus has obvious limitations. The results show that elderly patients can suffer harm from unconventional therapies. Herbal treatments are associated most frequently with adverse events. They can cause both direct toxicity and unwanted herb-drug interactions. Acupuncture, spinal manipulation and even massage therapy have also been implicated. Indirect risks exist if unconventional therapies are employed as a substitute for conventional treatments. It is concluded that unconventional therapies are not risk-free for elderly patients. All parties involved ought to be educated with a view of minimizing this risk, and more research is needed to increase our understanding of this area.

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非传统疗法对老年人的不良影响：近期文献的系统回顾。

非常规疗法越来越受欢迎，尤其是在老年人群中。本综述总结了有关非常规疗法可能给老年人带来的风险的证据。通过电脑文献检索，我们找到了所有关于这一主题的原始数据报告。找到的大部分证据都是传闻性质的，因此具有明显的局限性。结果显示，老年患者可能会受到非常规疗法的伤害。草药治疗最常与不良事件相关。草药治疗既可能导致直接毒性，也可能导致不必要的草药与药物之间的相互作用。针灸、脊柱推拿甚至按摩疗法也与不良事件有关。如果采用非常规疗法替代常规疗法，则存在间接风险。结论是，对老年患者来说，非常规疗法并非没有风险。我们需要对所有相关方进行教育，以期将这种风险降至最低，同时还需要开展更多研究，以加深我们对这一领域的了解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Journal of the American Aging Association

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