Polypharmacy in Adults With Chronic Disease – Characteristics and Association With Cognitive Disorders

Polypharmacy in the elderly with multimorbidity in particular results in drug interactions and manifestation of cognitive impairments and functional deficits. To analyze the characteristics of polypharmacy, predictors affecting its variability and its impact on possible cognitive impairment in adults over 60 years of age with a diagnosed chronic disease at risk for dementia. A national prospective multicenter study started in 2022 in 46 outpatient clinics of family medicine specialists in primary care. Participants older than 60 years of age with a confirmed minimum of one chronic disease and at risk for dementia were included. A general and clinical information questionnaire and 3 standardized questionnaires were used – Mini-cog test, IADL test and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Eight hundred fifty-eight participants were analyzed, with female predominance (57.69%). Sex and age as independent predictors significantly affected the variability of polypharmacy consistently 0.7% vs. 0.5%. Elevated cholesterol [OR=1.449 (1.09 – 1.92) 99% CI] and obesity [OR=1.695 (1.30 – 3.30) 99% CI] were associated with female sex. Four hundred ninety-seven participants (57.92%) received ≤2 groups of medications for treatment of chronic diseases. There was no significant association between the obtained Mini-cog test scores and the number of medication groups participants received (p=0.12). The higher GDS score was significantly associated with polypharmacy (p=0.03). A non-significant negative correlation was found between the IADL score and the number of medication groups used for therapy of chronic diseases (p=0.38).