Nigussie Shambel, Bayou Fekade Demeke
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health and Medical Science, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, Dessie, Ethiopia.
Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2024 Jun 12;101:100752. doi: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2024.100752. eCollection 2024.
Understanding the rate of polypharmacy in cardiovascular patients is crucial because of its increasing occurrence and its association with potentially inappropriate prescribing practices and negative health outcomes, particularly among elderly individuals with cardiovascular conditions. According to the best of the literature search knowledge, the magnitude of polypharmacy and associated factors were not known among older cardiovascular patients in eastern Ethiopia.
The aim of this study was to assess the rate of polypharmacy and its determinants among older adult cardiovascular patients at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in eastern Ethiopia.
A cross-sectional study design was undertaken, involving a cohort of 364 individuals aged 65 years and older who were receiving follow-up care for cardiovascular disease. A data abstraction sheet was used to gather the data. The convenience sampling technique was employed. To identify factors related to the rate of polypharmacy, multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed.
The analysis included the medical records of 325 patients, revealing a polypharmacy prevalence rate of 20.7%. Individuals who were 77 years of age or older had a 1.12 times higher likelihood of having polypharmacy than individuals who were 65 to 70 years old. The presence of comorbidities along with cardiovascular diseases was a significant factor related to polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was prevalent among individuals with a larger number of comorbidities.
This study reported that 1 in 5 cardiovascular patients at a chronic care clinic experienced polypharmacy. Age (≥77 years), having comorbidities, number of comorbid diseases (≥3), duration of cardiovascular disease (≥5 years), and number of years taking cardiovascular drugs (≥5) were associated with higher odds of polypharmacy. Health care providers should be cautious about prescribing multiple medications to this population. Training in the prevention of inappropriate polypharmacy is crucial to reducing the trend of polypharmacy and its associated burden.
了解心血管疾病患者的多重用药率至关重要，因为其发生率不断上升，且与潜在的不适当用药行为及不良健康后果相关，尤其是在患有心血管疾病的老年人中。根据现有最佳文献检索知识，埃塞俄比亚东部老年心血管疾病患者的多重用药程度及相关因素尚不清楚。
本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚东部希沃特·法纳综合专科医院老年心血管疾病患者的多重用药率及其决定因素。
采用横断面研究设计，纳入364名65岁及以上接受心血管疾病随访护理的患者。使用数据摘要表收集数据。采用便利抽样技术。为确定与多重用药率相关的因素，采用多变量逻辑回归分析。
分析纳入了325例患者的病历，多重用药患病率为20.7%。77岁及以上的个体发生多重用药的可能性比65至70岁的个体高1.12倍。除心血管疾病外还存在合并症是与多重用药相关的一个重要因素。多重用药在合并症较多的个体中普遍存在。
本研究报告称，慢性病护理诊所中每5名心血管疾病患者就有1人经历多重用药。年龄（≥77岁）、存在合并症、合并疾病数量（≥3种）、心血管疾病病程（≥5年）以及服用心血管药物的年限（≥5年）与多重用药的较高几率相关。医疗保健提供者在为该人群开多种药物时应谨慎。预防不适当多重用药的培训对于减少多重用药趋势及其相关负担至关重要。
