ABSTRACT
Much of the important work in the last decade in the area of pharmacokinetics has been performed with young adults (1). Because of this, estimates of drug disposition in infants, children, and the elderly have been made with the use of pharmacokinetic parameters derived from the study of young adults (2). Patients in the extremes of age groups present special pharmacokinetic problems that must be considered in overdose situations (3). Neonates and the elderly, however, generally have a lower meta bolic capacity compared with subjects between these extremes of age (2). There are many other reasons why these parameters may be incorrect, owing to the continu ous and rapid physiologic changes associated with the basic stages of human development. Even in healthy elderly, the normal aging process creates important changes in many of the phenomena included under the heading of pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
