Key result
Among elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases, the prevalence of polypharmacy was 42.7% and the prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions was 84.3%.
Why the study?
Elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases often require multiple therapies for co-morbidities, placing them at high risk for polypharmacy and drug-related problems.
Cross-Sectional
No
There is a high prevalence of polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions among elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases in Ethiopia, highlighting the need for careful medication review.
High polypharmacy and interaction rates warrant medication review in elderly CV patients; hypothesis-generating for prospective outcome studies.
BACKGROUND: Elderly people are most commonly associated with cardiac disease. Cardiovascular diseases are interlinked with co-morbidities which require multiple drug therapy in addition to cardiovascular drugs. This results to polypharmacy which carries a high risk of potential drug-drug interactions. Elderly patients are at a particular risk of drug related problems because of increased level of polypharmacy and the physiological changes which accompany aging. This study was aimed to assess polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) among elderly people with cardiovascular diseases at Yekatit 12 hospital. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective cross-sectional study using patients chart review was conducted on all elderly people with cardiovascular diseases at Yekatit 12 hospital in the period between March 2018 and March 2019. The types, seriousness and level of potential DDIs were checked using Medscape online drug interaction checker. RESULTS: The mean number of drugs per prescription was 4.25 ± 1.754 and the prevalence of polypharmacy (concurrent use of 5 and more drugs) was 42.7%. Polypharmacy and potential DDIs were significantly associated with polymorbidity (P = 0.000), being hospitalized (P = 0.047) and congestive heart failure (P = 0.016). A total of 850-potential DDIs were identified, the mean number of potential DDIs was 3.37 per prescription. The potential DDIs were mainly significant (73.29%) in nature and pharmacodynamics (73.06%) in mechanism. The prevalence of total and serious potential DDIs were 84.3% and 17.3%, respectively. Most commonly interacting drug combination was aspirin + enalapril (30.2%). CONCLUSION: A higher incidence of polypharmacy and increased risk of potential DDIs in elderly people with cardiovascular disease are major therapeutic issues at Yekatit 12 hospital.
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Assefa et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiovascular diseases. Polypharmacy was evaluated on Prevalence of polypharmacy. Among elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases, the prevalence of polypharmacy was 42.7% and the prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions was 84.3%.
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