Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Institute Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.
Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital (Amager-Hvidovre), Copenhagen, and Department of Health Science and Technology, The Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Pharmacother. 2022 Jun 8;8(4):406-419. doi: 10.1093/ehjcvp/pvac005.
Population ageing has resulted in an increasing number of older people living with chronic diseases (multimorbidity) requiring five or more medications daily (polypharmacy). Ageing produces important changes in the cardiovascular system and represents the most potent single cardiovascular risk factor. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) constitute the greatest burden for older people, their caregivers, and healthcare systems. Cardiovascular pharmacotherapy in older people is complex because age-related changes in body composition, organ function, homeostatic mechanisms, and comorbidities modify the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of many commonly used cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular drugs. Additionally, polypharmacy increases the risk of adverse drug reactions and drug interactions, which in turn can lead to increased morbi-mortality and healthcare costs. Unfortunately, evidence of drug efficacy and safety in older people with multimorbidity and polypharmacy is limited because these individuals are frequently underrepresented/excluded from clinical trials. Moreover, clinical guidelines are largely written with a single-disease focus and only occasionally address the issue of coordination of care, when and how to discontinue treatments, if required, or how to prioritize recommendations for patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. This review analyses the main challenges confronting healthcare professionals when prescribing in older people with CVD, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy. Our goal is to provide information that can contribute to improving drug prescribing, efficacy, and safety, as well as drug adherence and clinical outcomes.
人口老龄化导致越来越多的老年人患有需要每天服用五种或更多药物的慢性疾病(多种药物治疗)。衰老会导致心血管系统发生重要变化,是最有力的单一心血管风险因素。心血管疾病(CVDs)给老年人、他们的护理人员和医疗保健系统带来了最大的负担。老年人的心血管药物治疗较为复杂,因为与年龄相关的身体成分、器官功能、内稳态机制和合并症的变化会改变许多常用心血管和非心血管药物的药代动力学和药效学特性。此外,多种药物治疗会增加不良反应和药物相互作用的风险,从而导致死亡率和医疗保健成本增加。不幸的是,由于这些人经常在临床试验中代表性不足/被排除在外,因此患有多种合并症和多种药物治疗的老年人的药物疗效和安全性证据有限。此外,临床指南主要侧重于单一疾病,偶尔会涉及到协调护理的问题,何时以及如何在必要时停止治疗,或者如何为患有多种合并症和多种药物治疗的患者确定治疗建议的优先级。这篇综述分析了医疗保健专业人员在为患有 CVD、多种合并症和多种药物治疗的老年人开处方时面临的主要挑战。我们的目标是提供有助于提高药物治疗的疗效和安全性、药物依从性和临床结果的信息。