Epidemiology and Aging

Summing Up

Thus, epidemiologic methods have contributed to a complex and dynamic understanding of risk of disease in old age, identifying factors that are related to “classical” medical disciplines, such as endocrinology, but also a host of new risk factors that could be regarded as “geriatric.” These latter risk factors tend to be more holistic in that they relate not to one organ system specifically, but identify how even small deficits in multiple organ systems can contribute to risk of poor health outcomes in old age.

The tools and principles of epidemiology have had an important impact on our view of the capabilities and heterogeneity of the older population, on the differentiation of disease from normal aging, on a life-course perspective for risk, and on the types of interventions available to contend with the problems of old age. Many of these contributions have been incorporated in a variety of evidence-based practice guidelines, and the possibilities for the future are bright. Epidemiology can be an important tool to help researchers who study the problems of old age to learn more about the range of health, social, and psychologic problems of the elderly, to identify new avenues for intervention and to test these interventions, and to adapt the interventions to the practical realities of growing old. In this way, epidemiologic method can function as an important adjunct in the mission of promoting independence and providing evidence-based health care for older people.