Renal Water Handling, Vasopressin Secretion and Thirst Sensation in the Elderly

Abstract

Another specific problem from the viewpoint of osmoregulation is the period of aging. The normal anatomic and physiologic consequences of aging produce a population that is more susceptible to environmental stress, less adaptable to change, and with impaired recovery from insult or injury. This altered ability to maintain homeostasis may be due to normal functional decline or to superimposed pathologic conditions. Recognition that the geriatric patient may not behave like a younger adult is of paramount importance in medical and surgical management of the aging population.