An 80-year-old male nursing home resident is hospitalized on a morphine drip to control pain for his terminal metastatic pancreatic cancer. Morphine undergoes phase I and phase II metabolism in the liver as well as being metabolized by other enzymes. Some of these metabolic reactions decrease with age. Which of the following metabolic reactions is likely still intact in this patient?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Glucuronidation is a phase II metabolic reaction that generally remains intact with age, unlike many phase I reactions such as oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis, which can decrease in efficiency in elderly patients.

An 80-Year-Old Male Nursing Home Resident Is Hospitalized on a Morphine