TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Prevalence, risk factors and health outcomes associated with polypharmacy among urban community-dwelling older adults in multi-ethnic Malaysia
JO  - PLoS one
A1  - Lim, Li Min
A1  - McStea, Megan
A1  - Chung, Wen Wei
A1  - Nor Azmi, Nuruljannah
A1  - Abdul Aziz, Siti Azdiah
A1  - Alwi, Syireen
A1  - Kamarulzaman, Adeeba
A1  - Kamaruzzaman, Shahrul Bahyah
A1  - Chua, Siew Siang
A1  - Rajasuriar, Reena
SP  - e0173466
EP  - e0173466
VL  - 12
IS  - 3
N2  - BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in the older population. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors and health outcomes associated with polypharmacy in a cohort of urban community-dwelling older adults receiving chronic medications in Malaysia. <br><br>METHODS: This was a baseline study in the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research cohort. The inclusion criteria were individuals aged ≥55years and taking at least one medication chronically (≥3 months). Participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire during home visits where medications taken were reviewed. Health outcomes assessed were frequency of falls, functional disability, potential inappropriate medication use (PIMs), potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs), healthcare utilisation and quality of life (QoL). Risk factors and health outcomes associated with polypharmacy (≥5 medications including dietary supplements) were determined using multivariate regression models. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 1256 participants were included with a median (interquartile range) age of 69(63-74) years. The prevalence of polypharmacy was 45.9% while supplement users made up 56.9% of the cohort. The risk factors associated with increasing medication use were increasing age, Indian ethnicity, male, having a higher number of comorbidities specifically those diagnosed with cardiovascular, endocrine and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as supplement use. Health outcomes significantly associated with polypharmacy were PIMS, PDDIs and increased healthcare utilisation. <br><br>CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of older adults on chronic medications were exposed to polypharmacy and use of dietary supplements contributed significantly to this. Medication reviews are warranted to reduce significant polypharmacy related issues in the older population.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1932-6203
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173466
ID  - ref1
ER  -