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Risk factors for polypharmacy in older adults in a primary care setting: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: Purpose:Polypharmacy (PP) is a clinical challenge in older adults. Therefore, assessment of daily drug consumption (DDC) and its relationships is important. First-line health services have a crucial role in monitoring and preventing PP. In this study, we aimed to assess DDC and investigate the risk factors for higher DDC among older adults in a primary care setting. Patients and methods:A total of 1,000 patients aged ?65 years who visited Melek Hatun Family Practice Center between December 1, 2014, and August 1, 2017, were enrolled in the study. All patients were seen either at the center or in their homes, and informed consent was obtained. Comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed for each subject. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 17). The daily number of medicines that each patient used (DDC) regardless of whether they were prescribed was the dependent variable. Relationships between DDC and other continuous variables were examined using Pearson's correlation. For between-group comparisons of DDC, Student's t-tests were performed. Results:Univariate tests showed relationships between DDC and various demographic and clinical parameters. The variables that remained significant at the last step of a stepwise linear regression analysis were metabolic syndrome, chronic pain, incontinence, increased serum creatinine level, increased Geriatric Depression Scale scores, reported gastric disturbances, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Conclusion:Along with certain chronic conditions, depressive symptoms and an inflammatory marker (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio) were significantly and independently related to higher DDC. Longitudinal and larger studies are needed to further explore the multifaceted relationships of PP.

SUBMITTER: Ersoy S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6197244 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Risk factors for polypharmacy in older adults in a primary care setting: a cross-sectional study.

Ersoy Suleyman S Engin Velittin Selcuk VS

Clinical interventions in aging 20181015

<h4>Purpose</h4>Polypharmacy (PP) is a clinical challenge in older adults. Therefore, assessment of daily drug consumption (DDC) and its relationships is important. First-line health services have a crucial role in monitoring and preventing PP. In this study, we aimed to assess DDC and investigate the risk factors for higher DDC among older adults in a primary care setting.<h4>Patients and methods</h4>A total of 1,000 patients aged ≥65 years who visited Melek Hatun Family Practice Center between ...[more]

PMID: 30410317

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Project description:BackgroundPolypharmacy is common in older people and associated with potential harms. The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of an older multimorbid population with polypharmacy and to identify factors contributing to excessive polypharmacy in these patients.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis is based on the PRIMA-eDS trial, a large randomised controlled multicentre study of polypharmacy in primary care. Patients' baseline data were used for analysis. A number of socioeconomic and medical data as well as SF-12-scores were entered into a generalized linear mixed model to identify variables associated with excessive polypharmacy (taking ?10 substances daily).ResultsThree thousand nine hundred four participants were recruited. Risk factors significantly associated with excessive polypharmacy were frailty (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.22-1.71), >?8 diagnoses (OR 2.64; 95% CI 2.24-3.11), BMI ?30 (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.02-1.38), a lower SF-12 physical health composite score (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.26-1.72), and a lower SF-12 mental health composite score (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.17-1.59) than the median of the study population (?36.6 and???48.7, respectively). Age???85 years (OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.70-0.99) led to a significantly lower risk for excessive polypharmacy. No association with excessive polypharmacy could be found for female sex, low educational level, and smoking. Regarding the study centres, being recruited in the UK led to a significantly higher risk for excessive polypharmacy compared to being recruited in Germany 1/Rostock (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.27-2.30). Being recruited in Germany 2/Witten led to a slightly significant lower risk for excessive polypharmacy compared to Germany 1/Rostock (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.56-0.97).ConclusionsFrailty, multimorbidity, obesity, and decreased physical as well as mental health status are risk factors for excessive polypharmacy. Sex, educational level, and smoking apparently do not seem to be related to excessive polypharmacy. Physicians should especially pay attention to their frail, obese patients who have multiple diagnoses and a decreased health-related quality of life, to check carefully whether all the drugs prescribed are evidence-based, safe, and do not interact in an unfavourable way.Trial registrationThis trial has been registered with Current Controlled Trials Ltd. on 31 July 2014 (ISRCTN10137559).

Project description:OBJECTIVES:While older age and ill health are known to be associated with polypharmacy, this paper aims to identify whether wealth, body mass index (BMI), smoking and alcohol consumption are also associated with polypharmacy (5-9 prescribed medications) and hyperpolypharmacy prevalence (?10?prescribed medications), among older people living in England. DESIGN:Cross-sectional study. SETTING:The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Wave 6 (2012-2013). PARTICIPANTS:7730 participants aged over 50?years. DATA SYNTHESIS:Two multivariate models were created. HR with corresponding 95% CI, for polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy, were calculated after adjusting for gender, age, wealth, smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, self-rated health and the presence of a chronic health condition. RESULTS:Lower wealth (lowest wealth quintile vs highest wealth quintile, adjusted HR 1.28; 95%?CI 1.04 to 1.69, P=0.02) and obesity (adjusted HR 1.81; 95%?CI 1.53 to 2.15, p<0.01) were significantly associated with polypharmacy. Increasing age (50-59?years vs 70-79?years, adjusted HR 3.42; 95%?CI 2.81 to 4.77, p<0.01) and the presence of a chronic health condition (adjusted HR 2.94; 95%?CI 2.55 to 3.39, p<0.01) were also associated with polypharmacy. No statistically significant association between smoking and polypharmacy (adjusted HR 1.06; 95%?CI 0.86 to 1.29, P=0.56) was established; while, very frequent alcohol consumption (consuming alcohol >5?times per week) was inversely associated with polypharmacy (never drank alcohol vs very frequently, adjusted HR 0.64; 95%?CI 0.52 to 0.78, p<0.01). The adjusted HR for hyperpolypharmacy was accentuated, compared with polypharmacy. CONCLUSION:This study has identified that lower wealth, obesity, increasing age and chronic health conditions are significantly associated with polypharmacy and hyperpolypharmacy prevalence. The effect of these factors, on polypharmacy and especially hyperpolypharmacy prevalence, is likely to become more pronounced with the widening gap in UK wealth inequalities, the current obesity epidemic and the growing population of older people. The alcohol findings contribute to the debate on the relationship between alcohol consumption and health.

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Risk factors for polypharmacy in older adults in a primary care setting: a cross-sectional study.

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Risk factors for polypharmacy in older adults in a primary care setting: a cross-sectional study.

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