Acute pain in the elderly.

Acute-pain syndromes are common in the elderly. They often occur in association with the degenerative diseases that are likely to affect this age-group. Diagnosis of the specific type of acute pain is made difficult by several factors, including atypical presentation and underreporting. Treatment can be complicated by the polypharmacy that is prevalent among older adults and by age-related physiologic changes. Effective management requires knowledge of the effects of various pharmacologic agents in older adults and of the health and psychosocial status of the individual patient.