Key result
Polypharmacy affected 75.5% of 5,639 Qatari elderly patients attending primary healthcare centers and was independently associated with diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases.
Why the study?
Polypharmacy can cause poor health status and higher morbidity and mortality in the elderly, prompting this evaluation of its prevalence and association with non-communicable diseases in elderly Qatari primary care patients.
Cross-Sectional (n=5,639)
Yes
Polypharmacy is highly prevalent (75.5%) among elderly Qatari patients in primary care and is strongly associated with female gender, higher BMI, and non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
High polypharmacy burden signals need for medication review in similar cohorts; leaves open causal drivers and intervention effects for prospective study.
BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy has become a global public health concern particularly in the elderly population. The elderly population is the most susceptible to the negative effects of polypharmacy due to their altered pharmacokinetics and decreased drug clearance. Therefore, polypharmacy can lead to poor health status and higher rates of morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs) and its association with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in elderly (≥65 years) Qatari patients attending Primary Healthcare (PHC) centers in Qatar. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) database of all PHC centers in Qatar for six months (April-September 2017). RESULTS: Out of 5639 patients screened, 75.5% (95% CI: 74.3-76.6) were exposed to polypharmacy. Females were 1.18 times more likely to have polypharmacy compared to males (95% CI: 1.03-1.34). The multivariate analysis identified having hypertension (AOR 1.71; 95% CI: 1.38-2.13), diabetes (AOR 2.38; 95% CI: 1.97-2.87), dyslipidemia (AOR 1.29; 95% CI: 1.06-1.56), cardiovascular disease (AOR 1.56; 95% CI: 1.25-1.95) and asthma (AOR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.13-1.72) to be independent parameters associated with polypharmacy. Also, the Body Mass Index (BMI) and number of NCDs were found to be significant independent parameters associated with polypharmacy. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of polypharmacy among Qatari elderly attending PHC Centers is very high. Our findings confirm the strong relationship between polypharmacy and BMI, and certain NCDs. Healthcare professionals should be educated about the magnitude of polypharmacy, its negative effects, and its associated factors. Best practice guidelines should be developed for improved medical practice in the prescription of medications for such a vulnerable population.
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Al-Dahshan et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Polypharmacy and non-communicable diseases (n=5,639). Polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs) vs. Non-polypharmacy (< 5 drugs) was evaluated on Prevalence of polypharmacy (≥ 5 drugs) (95% CI 74.3-76.6). Polypharmacy affected 75.5% of 5,639 Qatari elderly patients attending primary healthcare centers and was independently associated with diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases.
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