Albertsen Nadja, Sommer Tine Gjedde, Olsen Thomas Mikkel, Prischl Anna, Kallerup Hans, Andersen Stig
Master of Anthropology of Health, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Aalborg University Hospital, Hobrovej 18-22, 9100 Aalborg, Denmark.
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Ther Adv Drug Saf. 2022 Jun 26;13:20420986221103918. doi: 10.1177/20420986221103918. eCollection 2022.
As lifetime expectancy in Greenland is steadily increasing, so is the proportion of elderly Greenlanders. Old age is associated with polypharmacy, and in this study, we aim to describe the prevalence and characteristics of polypharmacy among the care home residents in Greenland.
Eight care homes in Greenland were visited between 2010 and 2016. Questionnaires including information on prescribed medication and comorbidities were collected and analyzed. Drugs were categorized according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) category, and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) were assessed using the Danish Interaction Database. Polypharmacy was defined as five or more prescribed drugs.
All 244 eligible residents were included in the study. The median number of prescribed drugs per resident was six, and women were prescribed more drugs than men (median six five). More than 60% of all residents fulfilled the criteria for polypharmacy. The residents in the polypharmacy group had a higher body mass index (26.9 24.3) and more chronic diseases (median two one), and more often pulmonary (14% 1%) or endocrine disease (22% 2%) than in the non-polypharmacy group. The most prescribed drugs belonged to ATC category (nervous system, 78% of the residents). Finally, pDDIs were found among 61% of the residents and were more common in the capital (77%), which also had the highest proportion of residents with polypharmacy (77%).
This is the first study to describe the patterns of polypharmacy and pDDIs among the elderly in care homes in Greenland. Our findings indicate that polypharmacy is as common in Greenland as elsewhere in the Western world, but there are local differences in the prevalence.
The lifetime expectancy of the Greenlandic population is increasing, and so is the number of elderly Greenlanders. Previous studies have shown that the elderly have a higher risk of being treated with five drugs or more which is called polypharmacy. Polypharmacy can cause unwanted interactions and side effects. In this study, we examine the characteristics of the residents in Greenlandic care homes belonging to this group.Using questionnaires, we gathered information from 244 residents from care homes in eight different towns and settlements in Greenland. Data included types of medication prescribed to the resident, age, gender, cause of stay, and medical history, which allowed us to compare the results between genders and towns.We found that among 244 residents, more than half of all residents were prescribed five or more different drugs, and women were generally prescribed more drugs than men. Those prescribed five or more drugs had a higher body mass index and more diseases than those prescribed fewer drugs. We also found that certain types of medication, mainly painkillers, were the most prescribed. Finally, residents in the care home in Greenland's capital Nuuk were more often prescribed five or more drugs than elsewhere in Greenland, indicating local differences in Greenland.Our results give an essential insight into the health and medication of the most fragile elderly in Greenland. Polypharmacy seems to be as common here as elsewhere in the Western world and is a point of focus.
随着格陵兰岛人均寿命稳步增长，格陵兰老年人口的比例也在上升。老年与多种药物联合使用有关，在本研究中，我们旨在描述格陵兰养老院居民中多种药物联合使用的患病率及特征。
2010年至2016年间走访了格陵兰岛的八家养老院。收集并分析了包含处方药信息和合并症信息的调查问卷。药物根据解剖学治疗学化学（ATC）分类进行归类，并使用丹麦药物相互作用数据库评估潜在的药物相互作用（pDDI）。多种药物联合使用定义为服用五种或更多处方药。
所有244名符合条件的居民均纳入本研究。每位居民处方药的中位数为六种，女性服用的药物比男性更多（中位数为六种对五种）。超过60%的居民符合多种药物联合使用的标准。多种药物联合使用组的居民体重指数更高（26.9对24.3），慢性病更多（中位数为两种对一种），与非多种药物联合使用组相比，肺部疾病（14%对1%）或内分泌疾病（22%对2%）更为常见。最常开具的药物属于ATC分类 （神经系统药物，78%的居民使用）。最后，61%的居民存在pDDI，在首都更为常见（77%），首都也是多种药物联合使用居民比例最高的地区（77%）。
这是第一项描述格陵兰养老院老年人多种药物联合使用模式和pDDI的研究。我们的研究结果表明，多种药物联合使用在格陵兰岛与西方世界其他地方一样普遍，但患病率存在地区差异。
格陵兰岛人口的预期寿命在增加，格陵兰老年人口数量也在增加。先前的研究表明，老年人接受五种或更多药物治疗的风险更高，这被称为多种药物联合使用。多种药物联合使用可能导致不良相互作用和副作用。在本研究中，我们调查了格陵兰养老院中属于这一群体的居民的特征。通过问卷调查，我们收集了来自格陵兰八个不同城镇和定居点养老院的244名居民的信息。数据包括居民的处方药类型、年龄、性别、入住原因和病史，这使我们能够比较不同性别和不同城镇之间的结果。我们发现，在244名居民中，超过一半的居民被开具了五种或更多不同的药物，女性通常比男性开具的药物更多。服用五种或更多药物的居民比服用较少药物的居民体重指数更高，疾病更多。我们还发现，某些类型的药物，主要是止痛药开具得最多。最后，格陵兰首都努克养老院的居民比格陵兰其他地方的居民更常被开具五种或更多药物，这表明格陵兰存在地区差异。我们的研究结果为格陵兰最脆弱老年人的健康和用药情况提供了重要见解。多种药物联合使用在这里似乎与西方世界其他地方一样普遍，是一个关注焦点。
