A fortunate bitten tongue-Hypothyroidism despite repeatedly normal plasma thyrotropin levels.

Key Clinical Message: Hypophyseal dysfunction may be overlooked by the currently generally accepted laboratory routine for the differential diagnosis in patients suffering from symptoms of depression or dementia. Abstract: Hypothyroidism is an important cause of depression and potentially reversible cognitive impairment. Whereas the determination of the plasma concentration of thyrotropin (TSH) is generally considered part of the laboratory screening tests for dementia, the measurement of total or free triiodothyronine (T3, FT3), thyroxine (T4, FT4) and cortisol in plasma does not belong to the routine diagnostic workup in patients with depression or suspected dementia. In an 87-year-old lady suffering from increasingly poor general health, decreased fluid and food intake, mood depression and lack of energy, three measurements of plasma TSH produced normal values. A cranial computed tomography (cCT) 2 days prior to hospital admission had been assessed as apparently normal. A second cCT performed following a loss of consciousness complicated by tongue bite showed a hypophyseal tumor. Then, low plasma levels of FT3, FT4 and cortisol were found. Following hormone replacement and transsphenoidal tumor resection, the patient recovered rapidly. The present case report illustrates the pitfalls of measuring merely the TSH level in the detection of thyroid and hypophyseal dysfunction.

[Congenital malformations of the brain misinterpreted as sequelae of poliomyelitis]. / Angeborene Fehlbildungen des Gehirns als Folgezustände der Poliomyelitis verkannt.

BACKGROUND: Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease of the peripheral motor neurons, which predominantly affects children and causes residual palsies. Because of the oral poliomyelitis vaccination started in Germany in 1960 and 1962 and the following rapid decline of the incidence of this infection, the postpolio syndrome in Germany is a disease of older people. METHODS: Since 2008, we have offered a poliomyelitis outpatient consultation at the Center of Geriatrics, Protestant Hospital Göttingen-Weende and have treated 33 patients. RESULTS: The spectrum of persistent deficits after poliomyelitis ranges from palsy of single extremities to severe disability with (temporary) ventilator dependence. Many patients suffer from scoliosis or shortening of limbs of different degrees, which promotes degenerative diseases of the spinal cord and joints with secondary myelopathy, injury of spinal nerve roots or peripheral nerves or respiratory failure. The postpolio syndrome is characterized by an increase of the functional deficits after decades of compensation. The palsies of 2 of the 33 patients were not caused by poliomyelitis but by myelomeningocele and schizencephaly, respectively. CONCLUSION: The motor deficits acquired in childhood enable the majority of the patients to successfully master their lives. Because of the limited compensatory capacities of postpolio patients, even small increases in the severity of the palsy can cause a severe decline of the functional status and an impairment of the ability to live an independent life. In a substantial proportion of patients with the diagnosis poliomyelitis the symptoms are caused by other diseases.

[Geriatric traumatological rounds in a primary care hospital]. / Die alterstraumatologische Visite in einem Krankenhaus der Regelversorgung.

Geriatric traumatological rounds (GTR) with representatives of several disciplines are a challenge in the setting of primary care hospitals with limited resources. The GTR were started with only an experienced traumatologist and a geriatrician in 2019. Routine quality control data showed a reduction of the frequency of cardiac failure and mortality after the start of the GTR. Therefore, even the minimum variant of GTR with the focus on the differential diagnosis of falls and adequate drug treatment appears to be beneficial for the patient. Special attention is given to the medical treatment of cardiac failure, pulmonary diseases, osteoporosis, psychiatric disorders and anemia. Vitamin B12 and folate deficiency are substituted. When anticoagulants or platelet aggregation inhibitors are indicated, they are resumed early. Potentially inadequate drugs for older patients are avoided. Doses of many drugs used in geriatric patients must be adjusted to a reduced renal function often present in old age. Frequent electrolyte abnormalities are diagnosed and adequately treated.

Ceftriaxone-induced neutropenia successfully overcome by a switch to penicillin G in Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis.

Leukopenia, including agranulocytosis, is a severe complication of treatment with all ß-lactam antibiotics. Its incidence increases with age. Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis after implantation of an aortic valve bio-prosthesis in a 77-year-old woman was treated with ceftriaxone 2 g/day plus gentamicin 160 mg/day intravenously. On Day 25 of treatment, blood leukocytes had decreased to 1800/µl (neutrophils 370/µl). Antibiotic therapy was switched to penicillin G 20 million international units (IU)/day. Thereafter, blood leukocytes including neutrophils normalized suggesting that penicillin G was less bone marrow-toxic than ceftriaxone. High-dose ciprofloxacin, the alternative to penicillin G, was avoided because of the risk of cognitive and behavioral side effects. The present case suggests that with close laboratory monitoring a ß-lactam with differing side chains should not be considered contraindicated after ß-lactam antibiotic-induced neutropenia.

Serological testing for syphilis in the differential diagnosis of cognitive decline and polyneuropathy in geriatric patients.

BACKGROUND: In the 19th century, neurosyphilis was the most frequent cause of dementia in Western Europe. Now dementia caused by syphilis has become rare in Germany. We studied whether routine testing of patients with cognitive abnormalities or neuropathy for antibodies against Treponema pallidum has therapeutic consequences in geriatric patients. METHODS: A Treponema pallidum electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (TP-ECLIA) is routinely performed in all in-patients treated at our institution with cognitve decline or neuropathy and no or insufficient previous diagnostic workup. Patients with a positive TP-ECLIA treated from October 2015 to January 2022 (76 months) were retrospectively evaluated. In cases of positive TP-ECLIA, further specific laboratory investigations were performed to assess whether antibiotic therapy was indicated. RESULTS: In 42 of 4116 patients (1.0%), TP-ECLIA detected antibodies directed against Treponema in serum. Specifity of these antibodies was ensured by immunoblot in 22 patients (11 × positiv, 11 × borderline values). Treponema-specific IgM was detectable in the serum of one patient, in 3 patients the Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) test, a modified Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL), in serum was positiv. CSF analysis was performed in 10 patients. One patient had CSF pleocytosis. In 2 other patients, the Treponema-specific IgG antibody index was elevated. 5 patients received antibiotic therapy (4 × ceftriaxone 2 g/d i.v., 1 × doxycycline 300 mg/d p.o.). CONCLUSION: In approx. 1‰ of patients with previously undiagnosed or not sufficiently diagnosed cognitive decline or neuropathy, the diagnostic workup for active syphilis resulted in a course of antibiotic treatment.

Spatial and temporal variation of routine parameters: pitfalls in the cerebrospinal fluid analysis in central nervous system infections.

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space is convoluted. CSF flow oscillates with a net flow from the ventricles towards the cerebral and spinal subarachnoid space. This flow is influenced by heartbeats, breath, head or body movements as well as the activity of the ciliated epithelium of the plexus and ventricular ependyma. The shape of the CSF space and the CSF flow preclude rapid equilibration of cells, proteins and smaller compounds between the different parts of the compartment. In this review including reinterpretation of previously published data we illustrate, how anatomical and (patho)physiological conditions can influence routine CSF analysis. Equilibration of the components of the CSF depends on the size of the molecule or particle, e.g., lactate is distributed in the CSF more homogeneously than proteins or cells. The concentrations of blood-derived compounds usually increase from the ventricles to the lumbar CSF space, whereas the concentrations of brain-derived compounds usually decrease. Under special conditions, in particular when distribution is impaired, the rostro-caudal gradient of blood-derived compounds can be reversed. In the last century, several researchers attempted to define typical CSF findings for the diagnosis of several inflammatory diseases based on routine parameters. Because of the high spatial and temporal variations, findings considered typical of certain CNS diseases often are absent in parts of or even in the entire CSF compartment. In CNS infections, identification of the pathogen by culture, antigen detection or molecular methods is essential for diagnosis.

[B vitamins in geriatrics - what to determine, what to replace?] / B-Vitamine in der Geriatrie ­ was bestimmen, was ersetzen?

Deficiencies in B-vitamins have recently been recognized as risk factors for stroke and dementia. With increasing age there is an increased prevalence of metabolic and nutritional changes leading to increased vulnerability of vitamin deficiency. Especially in geriatric patients, these changes can have effects on the nervous system that are often not recognized. Often, however, vitamins in particular are taken uncritically and attributed with a variety of unspecific properties.With regard to the knowledge about the water-soluble B vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid and homocysteine as well as B1), there have recently been new findings and recommendations by various professional societies. An overview of the basics, causes, diagnostic and therapeutic concepts of B-vitamins and the current state of research in this area is given.

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy and septic encephalitis: an update.

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) and septic encephalitis (SE) are associated with increased mortality, long-term cognitive impairment, and focal neurological deficits. AREAS COVERED: The PUBMED database was searched 2016-2020. The clinical manifestation of SAE is delirium, SE additionally is characterized by focal neurological symptoms. SAE is caused by inflammation with endothelial/microglial activation, increase of permeability of the blood-brain-barrier, hypoxia, imbalance of neurotransmitters, glial activation, axonal, and neuronal loss. Septic-embolic (SEE) and septic-metastatic encephalitis (SME) are characterized by focal ischemia (SEE) and small abscesses (SME). The continuum between SAE, SME, and SEE is documented by imaging techniques and autopsies. The backbone of treatment is rapid optimum antibiotic therapy. Experimental approaches focus on modulation of inflammation, stabilization of the blood-brain barrier, and restoration of membrane/mitochondrial function. EXPERT OPINION: The most promising diagnostic approaches are new imaging techniques. The most important measure to fight delirium remains establishment of daily structure and adequate sensory stimuli. Dexmedetomidine and melatonin appear to reduce the frequency of delirium, their efficacy in SAE and SE remains to be established. Drugs already licensed for other indications or available as food supplements which may be effective in SAE are statins, L-DOPA/benserazide, ß-hydroxybutyrate, palmitoylethanolamide, and tetracyclines or other bactericidal non-lytic antibiotics.

Training improves the handling of inhaler devices and reduces the severity of symptoms in geriatric patients suffering from chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease.

PURPOSE: Elderly patients with impaired vision, cognitive decline or motor/sensory disturbances of their fingers suffering from chronic-obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) encounter difficulties in handling inhaler devices used as the cornerstones of treatment of pulmonary obstruction. Many elderly patients make severe mistakes which impede adequate drug delivery to the bronchioles. This multimodal training program was designed to reduce the number of handling mistakes of inhaler devices. METHODS: From October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017, a prospective intervention study was conducted in 38 in-patients > 65 years (median age 79 years) with previously diagnosed COPD. The effect of an 8-day intervention comprising daily counselling and video demonstration according to the recommendations of the German Airway League on the frequency of mistakes during handling of inhaler devices, the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), the forced vital capacity (FVC) and the perception of symptoms (COPD Assessment Test, CAT) were studied. Measurements on days 1 and 8 were compared by Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: The number of handling mistakes per patient decreased as a consequence of the intervention from 3.0 (0-7) to 0.5 (0-6) [median (minimum-maximum; p < 0.0001)]. The CAT Score decreased from 19.5 (14/24) to 14.5 (10.75/21) [median (25./75. percentile; p < 0.0001) indicating a substantial reduction of clinical symptoms. Conversely, FEV1 and FVC only slightly increased (difference statistically not significant). At study entry, the number of handling mistakes was inversely correlated with the Mini Mental Status Test (MMST) score (p = 0.01). The reduction of the number of handling mistakes during the intervention was not correlated with the MMST. CONCLUSION: In COPD, intensive training for 8 days improved the handling of inhalers and reduced clinical symptoms in geriatric patients. Patients with cognitive abnormalities also benefitted from this intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Registry DRKS00023196 , date of registration September 29, 2020 (retrospectively registered).

Neurogeriatrics-a vision for improved care and research for geriatric patients with predominating neurological disabilities.

Geriatric medicine is a rapidly evolving field that addresses diagnostic, therapeutic and care aspects of older adults. Some disabilities and disorders affecting cognition (e.g. dementia), motor function (e.g. stroke, Parkinson's disease, neuropathies), mood (e.g. depression), behavior (e.g. delirium) and chronic pain disorders are particularly frequent in old subjects. As knowledge about these age-associated conditions and disabilities is steadily increasing, the integral implementation of neurogeriatric knowledge in geriatric medicine and specific neurogeriatric research is essential to develop the field. This article discusses how neurological know-how could be integrated in academic geriatric medicine to improve care of neurogeriatric patients, to foster neurogeriatric research and training concepts and to provide innovative care concepts for geriatric patients with predominant neurological conditions and disabilities.

High dose vitamin D exacerbates central nervous system autoimmunity by raising T-cell excitatory calcium.

Poor vitamin D status is associated with a higher relapse rate and earlier disability in multiple sclerosis. Based on these associations, patients with multiple sclerosis are frequently supplemented with the vitamin D precursor cholecalciferol, although it is unclear whether this regimen is of therapeutic benefit. To model consequences of this common practice, mice were fed for more than 3 months with a low, medium or high dose of cholecalciferol, representative of vitamin D deficiency, modest and disproportionally high supplementation, respectively, in patients with multiple sclerosis. Compared to vitamin D-deprived mice, its moderate supplementation reduced the severity of subsequent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which was associated with an expansion of regulatory T cells. Direct exposure of murine or human T cells to vitamin D metabolites inhibited their activation. In contrast, mice with 25-(OH) vitamin D levels above 200 nmol/l developed fulminant experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis with massive CNS infiltration of activated myeloid cells, Th1 and Th17 cells. When dissecting this unexpected outcome, we observed that high, but not medium dose vitamin D had caused mild hypercalcaemia, which rendered T cells more prone to pro-inflammatory activation. Exposing murine or human T cells to equivalent calcium concentrations in vitro enhanced its influx, triggering activation, upregulation of pro-inflammatory gene products and enhanced transmigration across a blood-brain barrier model. These findings suggest that vitamin D at moderate levels may exert a direct regulatory effect, while continuous high dose vitamin D treatment could trigger multiple sclerosis disease activity by raising mean levels of T-cell excitatory calcium.

Introduction of Non-Vitamin K Antagonist Anticoagulants Strongly Increased the Rate of Anticoagulation in Hospitalized Geriatric Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of anticoagulative treatment to prevent thromboembolism has been established in patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter of all age groups. Traditionally, anticoagulation was underused in geriatric patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess whether the broad introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants into clinical medicine has changed the rate of older patients treated with anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation and flutter. METHODS: Hospitalized geriatric patients treated in 2015 were retrospectively studied for the presence of atrial fibrillation and flutter and the use or non-use of anticoagulation. The risk of stroke and the indication for permanent anticoagulation were assessed using the CHA2DS2-VASc score. RESULTS: Five hundred and twelve of 1320 patients showed a clear indication for therapeutic anticoagulation (38.8%). Of these, 431 patients (84.2%) had long-standing persistent (> 1 year)/permanent atrial fibrillation and flutter or paroxysmal/persistent (> 7 days) atrial fibrillation and flutter as well as CHA2DS2-VASc scores of ≥ 2 in men and ≥ 3 in women. In this group, 378 patients (87.7%) received anticoagulative treatment. Of all patients anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation and flutter, 221 received non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (58.5%), 176 received apixaban (46.6%), 32 received rivaroxaban (8.5%), and 13 received dabigatran (3.4%). One hundred and seven patients received the vitamin K antagonist phenprocoumon (28.3%) and 50 patients received high-dose low-molecular-weight heparins (13.2%). In 21 patients (5.6% of all anticoagulated patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter), hemorrhagic complications were documented. Eleven complications (52.4; 5.0% of all patients treated with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants) occurred during treatment with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants, four (19.0%) during anticoagulation with phenprocoumon and six (28.6%) during treatment with low-molecular-weight heparins. No intracranial hemorrhages and no fatal bleeding events occurred. CONCLUSION: The introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants and an increased awareness of their benefits led to an increased use of anticoagulation from 52.8% (2011) to 87.7% (2015) in geriatric patients with atrial fibrillation and flutter at our institution.

Cisterno-lumbar gradient of complement fractions in geriatric patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND: The complement system is a functional link between the innate and adaptive immune system and present in all compartments of the body. The composition of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) differs between the ventricular, cisternal and lumbar space. Usually, concentrations of blood-derived CSF proteins increase from ventricular to lumbar fractions. METHODS: In 20 geriatric patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) [13 women, 7 men, age 80.5 (75/85) years; median (25th/75th percentile)] a lumbar spinal tap of 40 ml was performed, and 10 ml of serum was drawn. CSF, sequentially collected in 8 fractions of 5 ml (1st fraction: lumbar CSF; 8th fraction: cisterna magna-near CSF), was analyzed for complement protein C3, and the activation products C3a and sC5b-9 by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The concentrations of the complement factors measured in fractions 1 and 8 of each individual patient were strongly correlated: C3 (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient rS = 0.75, p = 0.0002); C3a (rS = 0.93, p < 0.0001); sC5b-9 (rS = 0.64, p = 0.002). CSF complement concentrations were lower in the cistern-near fraction 8 than in the lumbar fraction 1 (C3: p = 0.005; C3a: p = 0.0009; sC5b-9: p = 0.0003, Wilcoxon signed rank test). The concentrations of complement factors in CSF were two orders of magnitude lower than those in serum. C3 levels in the lumbar CSF strongly correlated with the lumbar CSF/serum albumin concentration quotient (QAlb) as a measure of the functionability of the blood-CSF barrier and the velocity of CSF flow (rS = 0.84, p < 0.0001) suggesting diffusion of C3 from blood to CSF. The lumbar and cistern-near concentrations of C3a did not significantly correlate with QAlb (rS = 0.26) pointing to a local conversion of C3 to C3a. The lumbar concentrations of sC5b-9 moderately correlated with QAlb (rS = 0.62, p = 0.004). Plotting the CSF/serum quotient of C3 and sC5b-9 versus the QAlb revealed an approx. 50% local synthesis of C3, but a strong production of sC5b-9 in the CNS. CONCLUSIONS: The increase of the complement concentrations from cisternal to lumbar CSF and the strong correlation of C3 with QAlb suggest that (1) a substantial portion of complement C3 in CSF originates from blood and (2) the complement system is mildly activated in the CSF of NPH patients.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antibiotics in central nervous system infections.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The barriers surrounding the central nervous system (CNS) together with the emergence of multiresistant pathogens pose a therapeutic challenge for the effective treatment of CNS infections. RECENT FINDINGS: In addition to vancomycin, colistin and aminoglycosides, classically used for intrathecal injection, drug concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid after intrathecal injection of daptomycin and tigecyclin were recently studied. SUMMARY: The entry of antiinfectives into the CNS compartments is determined by the physicochemical properties of the drug and by conditions in the host. The most important drug properties are lipophilicity at a neutral pH, molecular mass and drug binding to serum proteins. In clinical practice, active transport is of importance only for some drugs. In recent years, intrathecal injection of antiinfectives in addition to systemic therapy has regained attention as a means to achieve high cerebrospinal fluid concentrations. The classification of antibacterials and antifungals into time-dependent and concentration-dependent compounds is also valid for the CNS compartments.

Cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities in meningeosis neoplastica: a retrospective 12-year analysis.

BACKGROUND: Meningeosis neoplastica is a diffuse metastatic spread of tumor cells in the subarachnoid space. Although first recognized in 1870, systematic investigations regarding cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) constituents in this condition are scarce. METHODS: Routine CSF samples analyzed from 2001 to 2012 at the Laboratory of Clinical Neurochemistry, University of Göttingen, were re-evaluated. Patients, whose CSF contained malignant cells were included in this study. RESULTS: Patients (n = 132, age 59.1 ± 29.1, 58% women) were identified, whose CSF contained malignant cells. The most frequent primary tumor was breast cancer (32.6%), followed by lung cancer (25.0%) and hematologic malignancies (21.2%). The most frequent clinical symptoms were affections of cranial nerves (41.7%), psychiatric abmormalities (32.6%) and radicular lesions of the lower extremities (20.5%). CSF cell counts ranged from 0 to 4692 cells/µl (median 4 cells/µl) and were elevated in 50%. The CSF-to-serum albumin ratio was abnormal in 69.4%. It ranged from 1.8 to 330 x 10-3 (median 17.5 x 10-3). Total CSF protein ranged from 166 to 15,840 mg/l (median 1012 mg/l). CSF lactate was elevated (>2.4 mmol/l) in 65.2% [3.6 mmol/l (1.3/15.6 mmol/l); median (minimum/maximum)]. In 50% of all patients CSF lactate was ≥3.5 mmol/l. The CSF cell counts correlated significantly with the CSF lactate levels and the CSF protein contents. In 56 of 118 CSF samples (47.5%) ferritin was elevated, and in 25 of 65 carcinoma patients (38.5%) an intrathecal production of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was detected. Granulocytes were found in 52.7% of the CSF samples. The percentages of granulocytes and lymphocytes were higher in samples with an elevated cell count. CONCLUSION: In approximately 50% of CSF samples with meningeosis neoplastica the CSF cell count is not elevated. Diagnosis may be missed when only CSF samples with elevated cell counts are subjected to cytological analysis. CSF lactate and protein and the CSF-to-serum albumin ratio are frequently increased in meningeosis neoplastica. The differential diagnosis between meningeosis neoplastica and central nervous infections, in particular tuberculous or fungal meningitis, can be difficult.

Small cisterno-lumbar gradient of phosphorylated Tau protein in geriatric patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND: The composition of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is not homogeneous, and concentrations of proteins from different origins diverge among ventricular, cisternal and lumbar CSF fractions. Concentrations of blood-derived proteins increase and of brain-derived proteins decrease from ventricular to lumbar fractions. We studied whether the origin of the CSF portion analysed may affect results in CSF analysis for dementia. METHODS: In 16 geriatric patients with suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus [age 82.5 (76/87) years; median (25th/75th percentile)] a lumbar spinal tap of 40 ml was performed. The CSF was sequentially collected in 8 fractions of 5 ml with the 1st fraction corresponding to lumbar CSF, the 8th to cisterna magna-near CSF. Fractions were analysed for total protein, albumin, Tau protein (Tau), phosphorylated Tau (pTau), Amyloid beta 1-42 (Aß1-42), Amyloid beta 1-40 (Aß1-40), and the Aß1-42/Aß1-40 ratio. RESULTS: The concentrations of total protein and albumin increased from cisternal to lumbar fractions due to diffusion-related accumulation from blood to CSF with significantly higher concentrations in fraction 1 compared to fraction 8. The concentrations of Tau showed a non-significant trend towards decreased values in lumbar samples, and pTau was slightly, but significantly decreased in the lumbar fraction 1 [26.5 (22.5/35.0) pg/ml] compared to the cistern-near fraction 8 [27.0 (24.2/36.3) pg/ml] (p = 0.02, Wilcoxon signed rank test). Aß1-42, Aß1-40, and the Aß1-42/Aß1-40 ratio remained almost constant. CONCLUSIONS: According to the flow-related diverging dynamics of blood-derived and brain-derived proteins in CSF, the concentrations of Tau and pTau tended to be lower in lumbar compared to cisternal CSF fractions after a spinal tap of 40 ml. The differences reached statistical significance for pTau only. The small differences will not affect clinical interpretation of markers of dementia in the vast majority of cases.

[Geriatrics - an interdisciplinary challenge]. / Geriatrie - eine interdisziplinäre Herausforderung.

The care of elderly patients will continue to challenge the healthcare system over the next decades. As a rule geriatric patients suffer from multimorbidities with complex disease patterns, and the ability to cope with everyday life is severely reduced. Treatment is provided by a multiprofessional geriatric team, and the primary goal is improvement of functional status, quality of life in the social environment and autonomy by employing a holistic approach. In Germany geriatric care is provided by physicians from various medical specialties (e.g. general practitioners, internists, neurologists and psychiatrists). In the training for the subspecialty clinical geriatrics, these specialties enjoy equal rights. Recent efforts to establish a qualification as physician for internal medicine and geriatrics have initiated a discussion to make the suitability for qualification as a geriatrician dependent on the medical specialty. Geriatric patients benefit from multidisciplinary cooperation. Neurologists possess great expertise in the treatment of patients with dementia, depression, delirium, consequences of degenerative spinal cord diseases and vertebral bone fractures, stroke, Parkinson's syndrome, epileptic seizures, vertigo and dizziness, neuropathies, lesions of peripheral nerves and in the multimodal therapy of pain. To function in a position of responsibility in a geriatric department, neurologists need skills in general internal medicine. These are acquired either on a geriatric ward or during specialization as a neurologist by full time secondment to large neurological or interdisciplinary intensive care units.