Endalifer Bedilu Linger, Kassa Mekuanint Terefe, Ejigu Yenesew Wudu, Ambaye Abyou Seyfu
Departement of Pharmacy, Asrat Woldeyes Health Science Campus, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.
School of Medicine, Asrat Woldeyes Health Science Campus, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.
Front Public Health. 2025 Apr 17;13:1525079. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1525079. eCollection 2025.
The global older adult population is expected to increase from 524 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion by 2050, mainly in developing countries. Age-related diseases, comorbidities, and polypharmacy make appropriate prescribing crucial. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy, drug-drug interaction, and potentially inappropriate medication use and its factors in an Ethiopian hospital.
A facility-based cross-sectional study on 236 patients aged 65 and above at Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (Jan 2022-Apr 2023) used the 2023 Beers Criteria and START/STOP V.3 to identify potentially inappropriate medications. Polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions were assessed using Micromedex®, with descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression performed in SPSS version 26.
Of the 236 patients in this study, 94 (39.8, 95% CI: 35.7-44.5%) were prescribed at least one potentially inappropriate medication per the STOPP/START criteria, with 81 (34.3%) identified by STOPP and 13 (5.5%) by START. According to the Beers Criteria, 108 patients (45.7, 95% CI: 40.1-51.0%) received at least one potentially inappropriate medication. Polypharmacy was observed in 80 patients (33.9, 95% CI: 29.1-38.5%), and potential drug-drug interactions were identified in 111 patients (47.0%). Being female (AOR: 2.93), age ≥75 (AOR: 1.52), and polypharmacy (AOR: 3.20) were linked to potentially inappropriate medication use per Beers Criteria. Age 70-74 (AOR: 2.30) and polypharmacy (AOR: 3.10) were also associated per STOPP/START criteria.
Polypharmacy, drug-drug interactions, and potentially inappropriate medications are common among older Ethiopian patients, with age, sex, and polypharmacy as contributing factors. Future studies are needed to assess the health and economic impacts of potentially inappropriate medications use.
预计全球老年人口将从2010年的5.24亿增加到2050年的15亿，主要集中在发展中国家。与年龄相关的疾病、合并症和多种药物联合使用使得合理用药至关重要。本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚一家医院中多种药物联合使用、药物相互作用以及潜在不适当用药的患病率及其影响因素。
在德西综合专科医院（2022年1月至2023年4月）对236名65岁及以上患者进行的一项基于机构的横断面研究，使用2023年《Beers标准》和START/STOP V.3来识别潜在不适当用药。使用Micromedex®评估多种药物联合使用和潜在药物相互作用，并在SPSS 26版本中进行描述性统计和二元逻辑回归分析。
在本研究的236名患者中，根据STOPP/START标准，94名（39.8%，95%置信区间：35.7 - 44.5%）患者至少开具了一种潜在不适当用药，其中81名（34.3%）由STOPP识别，13名（5.5%）由START识别。根据《Beers标准》，108名患者（45.7%，95%置信区间：40.1 - 51.0%）接受了至少一种潜在不适当用药。80名患者（33.9%，95%置信区间：29.1 - 38.5%）存在多种药物联合使用情况，111名患者（47.0%）被识别出存在潜在药物相互作用。根据《Beers标准》，女性（比值比：2.93）、年龄≥75岁（比值比：1.52）和多种药物联合使用（比值比：3.20）与潜在不适当用药有关。根据STOPP/START标准，70 - 74岁（比值比：2.30）和多种药物联合使用（比值比：3.10）也与之相关。
多种药物联合使用、药物相互作用和潜在不适当用药在埃塞俄比亚老年患者中很常见，年龄、性别和多种药物联合使用是影响因素。未来需要开展研究来评估潜在不适当用药的健康和经济影响。
