ABPS Geriatric Medicine flashcards

40 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Cockcroft-Gault equation

Estimates creatinine clearance using age, weight, sex, and serum creatinine: [(140 − age) × weight × (0.85 if female)] / (72 × creatinine).

Comprehensive geriatric assessment

Multidisciplinary evaluation of function, cognition, mood, mobility, nutrition, continence, and social support to identify problems and plan interventions.

Katz ADL scale

Assesses independence in bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, continence, and feeding; higher scores indicate greater independence.

Gait speed threshold

Gait speed below 0.8 meters per second is associated with frailty, disability, and increased mortality in older adults.

Delirium

Acute, fluctuating disturbance of attention and awareness due to an underlying medical cause; common in older hospitalized adults and often reversible.

Confusion Assessment Method

Screening tool requiring acute onset with fluctuation and inattention plus either disorganized thinking or altered consciousness for delirium diagnosis.

Fried frailty phenotype

Frailty defined by three or more of: weight loss, exhaustion, low grip strength, slow gait, and low physical activity.

Urge incontinence

Involuntary urine loss preceded by a sudden strong urge to void, often due to detrusor overactivity; treated with bladder training and antimuscarinics.

Lewy body dementia

Dementia with fluctuating cognition, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, and severe sensitivity to neuroleptic medications.

Cholinesterase inhibitors

Donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine; used for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease to slow symptom progression.

Frontotemporal dementia

Neurodegenerative dementia with early personality, behavior, or language changes and relatively preserved memory and visuospatial function.

Memantine

NMDA receptor antagonist used for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer disease; often combined with a cholinesterase inhibitor.

CHA2DS2-VASc score

Estimates stroke risk in atrial fibrillation using age, sex, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, stroke history, and vascular disease.

Orthostatic hypotension

Drop of at least 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic within three minutes of standing; contributes to falls and syncope.

HFpEF

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, predominant in older adults; treated with diuretics and SGLT2 inhibitors.

Aortic stenosis murmur

Harsh systolic crescendo-decrescendo murmur radiating to the carotids; syncope, angina, and dyspnea are warning signs.

HbA1c targets in older adults

Less than 7.5% for healthy older adults and less than 8.0–8.5% for frail patients with hypoglycemia risk.

Metformin renal cutoff

Contraindicated when eGFR is below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²; use caution and reduce dose at eGFR 30–45.

Hyponatremia correction rate

Correct sodium slowly, generally no more than 8–10 mmol/L in 24 hours, to avoid osmotic demyelination syndrome.

CKD stage 5

eGFR below 15 mL/min/1.73 m² or dialysis dependence; requires medication dose adjustment and nephrology referral.

Polymyalgia rheumatica

Proximal shoulder and hip girdle pain with elevated ESR/CRP in older adults; treated with low-dose prednisone.

Giant cell arteritis

Large-vessel vasculitis with headache, jaw claudication, and vision loss; requires immediate high-dose corticosteroids and temporal artery biopsy.

Gout flare treatment

Colchicine, NSAIDs, or corticosteroids for acute flares; urate-lowering therapy such as allopurinol is started after resolution.

Osteoporosis screening

DEXA bone density recommended for women aged 65 and older and men aged 70 and older; FRAX estimates fracture risk.

Parkinson disease triad

Resting tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity; levodopa-carbidopa is the most effective symptomatic therapy.

Late-life depression

Depression in older adults often presents with somatic complaints or cognitive slowing; SSRIs are first-line pharmacotherapy.

Serotonin syndrome

Toxic serotonergic state with agitation, hyperthermia, clonus, and autonomic instability from serotonergic drug combinations.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria

Bacteria in urine without urinary symptoms; generally not treated in older adults except in pregnancy or before urologic procedures.

Recombinant zoster vaccine

Two-dose vaccine recommended for adults aged 50 and older, including those with prior shingles history.

Pneumococcal vaccination

PCV20 or PCV21 is recommended for adults aged 65 and older who have not received prior pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Beers Criteria

List of potentially inappropriate medications for older adults, including benzodiazepines, anticholinergics, and long-acting sulfonylureas.

Deprescribing

Systematic reduction or discontinuation of medications when harms exceed benefits, with tapering for benzodiazepines, opioids, and antidepressants.

Acetaminophen ceiling in older adults

Maximum daily dose generally 3 grams in older adults to reduce hepatotoxicity risk; first-line for mild-to-moderate pain.

Hospice eligibility

Requires a prognosis of six months or less and a focus on comfort care rather than curative treatment.

PAINAD scale

Observational pain assessment for patients with advanced dementia, rating breathing, vocalization, facial expression, body language, and consolability.

Colorectal cancer screening age

Recommended through age 75; individualized from 76 to 85 based on life expectancy and patient preference.

Malnutrition screening

Tools such as MNA or MUST identify risk; unintentional weight loss over 5% in six months warrants evaluation.

Decision-making capacity

Requires understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and communication of a choice; it is task-specific and assessed by clinicians.

POLST form

Portable medical order documenting treatment preferences for seriously ill patients; distinct from an advance directive.

Medicare skilled nursing benefit

Covers up to 100 days per benefit period after a qualifying hospital stay; does not cover long-term custodial care.