Joel C. Marrs, PharmD

Heart failure is the most common hospital discharge diagnosis in patients older than 65 years. Typically, HF patients take four to five medications and additional medications for a myriad of other medical conditions. This puts the elderly at increased risk of drug interactions, unwanted side effects and non-compliance. CV and inflammatory diseases commonly coexist in the elderly who are the most frequent users of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors.