Considerations on the consumption of medicines in elderly patients

Authors

  • María Teresa Díaz Soto
  • María Elena Licea Suárez
  • Aychel Medina Carbonell
  • Alexeis Beltrán Alfonso
  • Jose Miguel Calderin Miranda

Keywords:

pharmacotherapy, chronic illness, elderly, adverse drug reaction, polypharmacy

Abstract

Introduction: Aged adults generally have different pathologies, which implies high consumption of drugs, with which, this population group is one of those that can make the higher number of errors when using medication drugs.

Objective: To evaluate the behavior of drug use in an elderly population. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a medical office in Arroyo Naranjo municipality, Havana, from October 2018 to May 2019. 365 geriatric patients made up the population they had diagnosis of chronic non-communicable disease (NCD ). A random sampling was carried out for a total of 67 selected patients. The variables analyzed were age, sex, associated NCD, and medications used. The data were obtained by studying medical records and interviews. A percentage analysis was carried out to determine prevalence in each variable analyzed.

Results: The drugs that stood out the most in the sample were antihypertensive and hypoglycemic drugs. The consumption of drugs was higher in patients aging 75 years and older and mainly in women. Men were the most irresponsible in adherence to treatment.

Conclusions: There was correspondence between the treatments and the pathologies in most cases with the exception of some patients in whom the benefit-risk ratio of the treatment was not fully met. However, generally, it is considered that there is no adequate use of the drugs in the sample.

 

Keywords: pharmacotherapy; chronic illness; elderly; adverse drug reaction; polypharmacy.

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Published

2020-10-10

How to Cite

1.
Díaz Soto MT, Licea Suárez ME, Medina Carbonell A, Beltrán Alfonso A, Calderin Miranda JM. Considerations on the consumption of medicines in elderly patients. Rev Cubana Med [Internet]. 2020 Oct. 10 [cited 2025 Feb. 7];60(2). Available from: https://revmedicina.sld.cu/index.php/med/article/view/1507

Issue

Vol. 60 No. 2 (2021): abril-junio

Section

Original articles

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