[The elderly traveler]

Abstract

In recent years, the number of senior citizen travelers has been increasing. As a result of this trend, the general practitioner is every more frequently being confronted with the problem of counseling his elderly patients. A particularly important point is that underlying illnesses and long-term medication must be adapted to the destination, traveling time and style of traveling. Since considerable immunization deficits can be found among senior citizens, the application of prophylactic vaccination prior to the jou rney presents an ideal opportunity to bring the patient's immunization status up to date in terms of generally recommended vaccinations. Should chemoprophylaxis be necessary, consideration must always be given to drug interactions. By making appropriate recommendations in terms of health-related and destination-related dos and don'ts, the risk of developing health problems while traveling can be minimized.