A Study of Polypharmacy and its Consequences in Geriatric Patients

Abstract

The term polypharmacy is the concurrent use of five or more drug by a patient. In older persons, the cutoff threshold of five medicines is linked to the unfavourable outcomes such falls, disability, and mortality one of the crucial components. The main components of polypharmacy therapy in the clinical setting are reviewed in this study. Potential Drug-Drug Interactions (pDDIs) and Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) are threatening and contribute to increased rate of morbidity and mortality rate. The present study was performed on the prevalence of pDDIs and PIMs among the geriatric patients at a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: The study was Prospective, Cross-sectional study carried out for a period of six months in General Medical Ward at Akash hospital, Bangalore PIMs were analyzed using Beer’s criteria and pDDIs were analyzed using online data base system (Micromedex 2.2) Results: In this study, a total of 110 patients were enrolled, out of which 69 (62.72%) were males and 41 (37.28%) were females. Out of which 21 (19.10%) prescription showed PIMs and 66 (56%) prescription showed pDDIs. A total of 180 pDDIs were observed, 3 interactions (1.7%) come under the classification of contraindication, 87 (48.3%) fall under major severity, 85 (47.29%) were of moderate severity and 5 (2.8%) were of minor severity. Among 180 pDDIs, 13 (7.2%) were of rapid, 21 (11.6%) were delayed and 146 (81.6%) were not specified. 97 (57.30%) were of synergism, 49 (27.40%) were antagonism and 34 (18.80%) were unknown. 13 (7.2%) were of excellent, 29 (16.20%) were good and 138 (76.60%) were fair. Conclusion: This study concluded that awareness on the most prevalent pDDIs can help the practitioners to prescribe drugs with a low risk for pDDIs and prevent the concomitant use of various drug combinations.