Polypharmacy is a practice characterized by taking five or more medications per day. Over a third of adults aged 60-79 years old in the US engage in polypharmacy, which is linked to poor health outcomes, including falls, medication interactions, hospitalizations, and death. Having multiple chronic conditions increases older adults' risk of polypharmacy. Older adults with dementia are also more likely to engage in polypharmacy.
However, there is a gap in understanding the symptom experience and health outcomes of older adults with and without the condition and polypharmacy. In the current study, researchers thus investigated the number of symptoms experienced by older adults with and without dementia according to polypharmacy status. They also examined physical function and health outcomes over time.
To do so, they analyzed data from 2,052 individuals from the National Health and Aging Trends Study. The sample was separated into four groups: those with neither dementia nor polypharmacy, those with polypharmacy only, those with dementia only, and those with both.
Ultimately, participants with both dementia and polypharmacy experienced more symptoms on average. They were also more likely to fall, require hospitalization, and had higher rates of mortality than other groups. Older adults with both dementia and polypharmacy additionally had lower physical function, and required more assistance with daily activities such as bathing and dressing, alongside more assistance from devices such as canes or walkers than other groups.
"The older adult population is growing in the U.S., with an estimated 80 million individuals over the age of 65 by 2040," said lead author of the study, Martha Coates, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions, in a press release.
"This means that the number of older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will also increase, and currently there is no cure. Avoiding adverse outcomes related to polypharmacy can improve quality of life and prevent excess disability for older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias," she added.
Sources: Science Daily, Biological Research For Nursing