Introduction

Geriatric Essentials

• For most hormonal supplements, evidence supports their use only in patients who have a deficiency of that hormone.
• Evidence supporting use of hormones to help reverse some effects of aging is insufficient, and potential adverse effects of long-term use are unclear.
• Many elderly people have growth hormone deficiency; many elderly men have testosterone deficiency. Supplementation may benefit these people.
• Because estrogen therapy has risks, its use is generally limited to short-term treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Because levels of many hormones decrease with aging (see Table 66-1), restoring hormone levels that are low might seem a logical way to help reverse some of the effects of aging. However, any resulting improvement in functional status might theoretically be gained at the expense of reduced longevity; for example, increased metabolism, which often results from use of hormones, can lead to tissue damage because free radicals are generated. Therefore, indications for hormonal supplementation should be restricted to correcting a documented hormone deficiency or to ameliorating symptoms resulting from such a deficiency.

This topic was last updated March 2006.