Final answer:
Pharmacotherapy is the use of drugs to treat diseases, which can be particularly complex in older adults due to their unique physiological changes and the need for individualized dosage regimens, guided by factors like pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pharmacotherapy refers to the treatment of diseases with medications, adjusting and individualizing drug regimens to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity, especially in vulnerable populations like the older adults. Drug plasma concentrations and dosage administered are affected by ADME processes (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion), which can vary widely among individuals due to factors like age, weight, genetic polymorphism, co-morbid diseases, and drug-drug interactions (DDI). To manage these variations and optimize treatment, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) is often utilized, ensuring drug levels in the plasma are within a therapeutic range that balances effectiveness with safety.
Older adults particularly may experience changes in drug plasma levels and concentration in tissues due to physiological alterations that come with ageing, requiring careful consideration and adjustment in drug posology. Clinicians must evaluate the influence of age, gender, genetic characteristics, and food on drug pharmacokinetics to prescribe correctly. Pharmacogenomics, the study of how genetic variation affects individual responses to drugs, continues to inform and refine pharmacotherapy, aiming to achieve personalized medicine.