Health

One in three elderly use more than two drugs per day, study finds

08/08/2012

 


Study evaluated 3000 over 60 years. In 83% of cases, the product was related to the cardiovascular system

Researchers from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) and the National School of Public Health (ENSP / Fiocruz) identified factors associated with the use of multiple drugs among 3,000 elderly over 60 years beneficiaries INSS. The results, published in Journal of Public Health, Fiocruz, show that the prevalence of drug use was 83% and the most frequently used were related to the cardiovascular system. Polypharmacy occurred in more than one third of the participants and the average person was used between two and five drug.

The survey showed that 35.4% of respondents use multiple drugs (polypharmacy), the incidence of this practice is even greater with age group 60-69 years, 28.3% of seniors reported using more than one drug , while among those over 70 years, the percentage rose to 42.7%.

Another result indicated by the study was that women used more drugs than men. The researchers said this could be explained by the predominance of females at older ages in the country. They also stressed that low educational level influences the understanding and complying with prescriptions, since more than half of respondents had not completed elementary school. According to the researchers, the study highlights the need for improvement of pharmaceutical care for this subgroup of the population.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in recent years, the elderly population grew more than twice the general population. It is estimated that in 2030, about 19% of Brazilians are in old age.



Source: R7 News

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