This report presents data and analytical evaluation of 163 community volunteers, aged 64 and over, seen over a two-year period as one phase of the multidisciplinary investigation currently being conducted by the Duke University Regional Center for the Study of Aging.Incidences of skin lesions were tabulated and compared with incidences of skin problems in the aged leading to dermatology consultations, presenting complaints of all age groups seeking the dermatologist's aid, and incidences of skin lesions in samples of geriatric individuals as a group. The panelists' medical histories and physical examinations together with accessory clinical findings constituted variables and were subjected to chi-square (\ g=x\ 2) statistical testing with the dermatological history and physical examination variables to determine existing relationships.CONSTANT INCREASE in the number of indi¬ viduals over 60 years of age has led to greater interest in diseases of the aged. Considerations of skin changes associated with aging and their management15 and comparisons of the present¬ ing complaints of elderly patients with the inci¬ dences of a wide variety of skin lesions have been reported.810Elderly individuals have also been sought out in an effort to assess the occurrence of skin lesions in a sampling of an entire group of oldsters rather than just those persons specifically seeking dermatological aid.11, 12 As might have been expected, these studies revealed some differences in inci¬ dences.This study was designed to carry the investiga¬ tion a step further, and included information re¬ flecting internal as well as external changes of the aging process. An attempt has been made to de¬ termine accurately the incidences of the geriatric dermatoses and to relate them with various internal aberrations. Materials and MethodsOne hundred sixty-three community volunteers, aged 64 years and older, participated in a series of multidisciplinary examinations at the Duke Uni¬ versity Regional Center for the Study of Aging. The data analyzed were provided by one phase (a two-year period) of a comprehensive longitudinal study of human aging by the Center. The subjects, Caucasian and Negro, male and female, were am¬ bulatory and living in or immediately around Dur¬ ham, NC. The panelists did not constitute a ran¬ dom sample of elderly persons. Members of the panel, however, were chosen from a larger number who volunteered to participate in such a way that their sex, racial, and educational characteristics were typical of this locale. A complete dermatological history and physical examination were ad¬ ministered, in addition to a medical, social, and psychiatric evaluation of the subjects. The medical history and physical examinations were supple¬ mented with a chest x-ray; fasting blood sugar, serum cholesterol, hemoglobin level, and white blood cell count and differential counts; a serologie test for syphilis, an electrocardiogram; an electro¬ encephalogram; and a retinograph. The social and psychiatric examinations were supplemented by appropr...

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A retrospective study was made of the 243 geriatric patients with herpes zoster and post‐zoster complications referred to Duke University Medical Center during the years 1939 through 1968. The factors of age, race, sex, distribution, laterality, duration, severity, complications, and associated disorders were evaluated. There was an absolute increase in the frequency of trigeminal nerve involvement among geriatric zoster patients compared with zoster patients of all ages. The commonly‐held belief that the duration is longer and the disease more severe in geriatric patients was confirmed. The incidence of complications also was significantly increased in the 243 geriatric zoster patients. Suggestions concerning the management of both uncomplicated and complicated cases of herpes zoster are made. The use of large systemic dosages of corticosteroids is discussed in terms of the benefits versus the risks.

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