Department of Family Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, 23 Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02447, South Korea.
Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; Department of Regulatory Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2024 Sep;124:105465. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105465. Epub 2024 Apr 27.
Limited comprehensive evidence exists on the global prevalence of polypharmacy. This knowledge gap contributes to increased healthcare system costs and related public health concerns. Thus, we aimed to synthesize the current evidence on polypharmacy prevalence and associated factors in the general and older populations using an umbrella review.
Our primary outcomes were global prevalence and related indicators of polypharmacy. We systematically searched Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL for studies published between the inception of each database until April 30, 2023.
Eleven meta-analyses incorporating 295 studies and 59,552,762 participants from 41 countries across six continents were identified. The global prevalence of polypharmacy in the general population is 37 %, with higher rates in older individuals (45 %), outpatients (48 %), and inpatients (52 %). North America showed a higher prevalence (52 %) than Asia (36 %) and Europe (36 %). Among frail elderly individuals, the prevalence of polypharmacy is 59 %, with the highest rates in Europe (68 %) and hospital settings (71 %).
The global prevalence of polypharmacy and its associated factors in older adults present a complex, multifaceted, and conflicting picture. Understanding the prevalence of polypharmacy and its associated factors may help reduce the number of multidrug prescriptions.
关于全球范围内多重用药的流行率，目前仅有有限的综合证据。这一知识空白导致医疗保健系统成本增加，并引发相关公共卫生问题。因此，我们旨在通过伞式综述综合当前关于一般人群和老年人群中多重用药流行率及其相关因素的证据。
我们的主要结局指标是全球多重用药的流行率和相关指标。我们系统地在 Google Scholar、PubMed/MEDLINE、Embase 和 CINAHL 上搜索了自每个数据库建立以来至 2023 年 4 月 30 日发表的研究。
确定了 11 项荟萃分析，其中纳入了来自六大洲 41 个国家的 295 项研究和 59,552,762 名参与者。一般人群中多重用药的全球流行率为 37%，老年人（45%）、门诊患者（48%）和住院患者（52%）的比率更高。北美地区的流行率（52%）高于亚洲（36%）和欧洲（36%）。在体弱老年人中，多重用药的流行率为 59%，欧洲（68%）和医院环境（71%）的比率最高。
老年人中多重用药的全球流行率及其相关因素呈现出复杂、多方面和相互矛盾的情况。了解多重用药的流行率及其相关因素可能有助于减少多药处方的数量。
