This book, Recent Advances in Geriatrics, is based on the proceedings of the 8th Course of the School of Gerontology and Geriatrics held in Erice (Trapani, Italy) at the In- ternational Centre for Scientific Culture "Ettore Majorana" on March 20-25, 1997. This international effort was organized jointly by professors from the University of Palermo (It- aly) and from Wayne State University (Michigan, USA) as a result of a cross-cultural col- laboration of several years. _ The increasing average age of the populations in industrialized countries has re- sulted in increased interest in the...