Polypharmacy, Physical and Nutritional Status, and Depression in the Elderly: Do Polypharmacy Deserve Some Credits in These Problems?

Polypharmacy, over-the-counter medications, and aromatase inhibitor adherence in early-stage breast cancer

PURPOSE

Polypharmacy is associated with negative health outcomes and decreased medication adherence. Polypharmacy is common in cancer populations, but few studies have evaluated the relationship between polypharmacy and aromatase inhibitor (AI) adherence. No studies have evaluated the relationship between over-the-counter (OTC) supplements and AI adherence. Our primary hypothesis was that polypharmacy would be associated with increased risk of premature AI discontinuation.

METHODS

This exploratory analysis used data from the Exemestane and Letrozole Pharmacogenetics (ELPh) trial, a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial that enrolled participants from 2005 to 2009. Included patients were female, postmenopausal, with stage 0-III breast cancer, who had completed indicated chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Participants were randomized to adjuvant exemestane or letrozole and completed serial clinical examinations and questionnaires for two years. Concomitant medication data were collected prospectively. Cox proportion models were used for statistical analysis of the relationship between polypharmacy, OTCs, medication class, and AI adherence.

RESULTS

In the 490 analyzed participants, use of any prescription medications at baseline was associated with decreased risk of premature AI discontinuation (HR 0.56, p = 0.02). Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) at baseline was associated with decreased risk of premature AI discontinuation (HR 0.67, p = 0.04). Use of any OTCs was not associated with AI discontinuation.

CONCLUSION

Baseline use of prescription medications but not OTCs was associated with increased AI persistence. Future research is needed to understand how this can be utilized to promote AI adherence.

Lifestyle Interventions in an Aged Population: Challenges and Opportunities from a Public Health Perspective

In recent decades, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cancer and cardiovascular disease has increased worldwide [...].

Effect of using a mobile drug management application on medication adherence and hospital readmission among elderly patients with polypharmacy: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Adherence to complex drug regimens and polypharmacy are among the challenges of old age, which may negatively affect their motivation to continue drug therapy or lead to incorrect drug consumption. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of using a mobile drug management application on medication adherence and hospital readmission among polypharmacy older adults.

METHODS

In this randomized controlled trial study conducted in 2022, with Trial Registration Number (IRCT20191231045966N1) (18/07/2021), 192 Iranian older adults with polypharmacy were selected according to the inclusion criteria and allocated to case and control groups using the block randomization method. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, case report form, and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. The intervention was done using a mobile drug management application. Drug adherence was measured at baseline and both with hospital readmission were measured after 8 weeks. The collected data were entered into the SPSS software version 22 and analyzed using descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential (Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test) statistics.

RESULTS

The case and control groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic variables and drug adherence level before the intervention. A significant difference was found in the drug adherence level after using the app (p < 0.001). Moreover, a significant difference was found in adverse events, including re-hospitalization due to disease aggravation, re-hospitalization due to error in medication consumption, falling, hypo or hypertension, and hypo or hyperglycemia, and medication use accuracy between the groups after the intervention (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The results showed that using a mobile drug management application that meets the specifications of older adults can improve drug adherence, reduce the adverse events and pave the way for a better disease period management.

Polypharmacy, physical activity, and sedentary time in older adults: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To map out the studies that have investigated the associations of polypharmacy and/or potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use with physical activity and sedentary time in older adults.

METHODS

We conducted a literature search from inception to December 2022 in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

observational studies including older adults (≥60 years); English, Portuguese, and Spanish languages; any definition of polypharmacy; implicit and explicit criteria of PIM use; physical activity and/or sedentary time data.

RESULTS

Fourteen cross-sectional studies were included; 11 defined polypharmacy as ≥5 medications (prevalence ranging from 9.5 % to 57 %). No study reported information on PIM use. Most studies included participants aged <80 years. Twelve studies included self-reported measures of physical activity, while two studies used accelerometer-measured physical activity. Ten studies included analyses adjusted for confounders, and nine considered polypharmacy as an outcome. All of them demonstrated an inverse association between physical activity and polypharmacy, irrespective of the definition of polypharmacy and the assessment method employed (self-reported or accelerometry). One study reported an inverse association between polypharmacy (as the exposure) and physical activity (as the outcome). None of the studies investigated the association between sedentary time and polypharmacy.

CONCLUSIONS

Limited evidence suggests an inverse association between physical activity and polypharmacy in older adults. However, the relationship between PIM use, physical activity, and sedentary time remains unknown. Longitudinal studies utilizing objectively-measured physical activity and sedentary time are needed to better clarify the relationship between these movement behaviors and polypharmacy and/or PIM use in older adults.

Chinese expert consensus on prevention and intervention for the elderly with malnutrition (2022)

Malnutrition is a state of altered body composition and body cell mass due to inadequate intake or utilization of energy or nutrients, leading to physical and mental dysfunction and impaired clinical outcomes. As one of the most common geriatric syndromes, malnutrition in the elderly is a significant risk factor for poor clinical outcomes, causing a massive burden on medical resources and society. The risk factors for malnutrition in the elderly are diverse and include demographics, chronic diseases, and psychosocial factors. Presently, recommendations for the prevention and intervention of malnutrition in the elderly are not clear or consistent in China. This consensus is based on the latest global evidence and multiregional clinical experience in China, which aims to standardize the prevention and intervention of malnutrition in the elderly in China and improve the efficacy of clinical practice and the prognosis of elderly patients.

Inappropriate drug use determined by TIME criteria and the relation with frailty

Amaç: Çalışmamızın amacı kırılganlık ile çoklu ilaç kullanımı, Potansiyel Uygunsuz İlaç Kullanımı (PUİK) ve Potansiyel Reçete İhmali (PRİ) ilişkisini değerlendirmektedir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Geriatri polikliniğine 1 Ekim 2021 ve 1 Nisan 2022 ayaktan başvuran 65 yaş ve üzeri hastalar retrospektif değerlendirildi. Hastaların demografik verileri, kullandıkları ilaçların etken maddeleri, komorbid hastalıkları ve Klinik Kırılganlık Skalası (KKS) skoru kayıt edildi. KKS skoruna göre hastalar kırılgan ve kırılgan olmayan olarak ikiye ayrıldı. Turkish Inappropriate Medication use in the Elderly (TIME) to STOP kriterleri PUİK değerlendirmek için, TIME to START ise PRİ’yi belirlemek için kullanıldı. Bulgular: Hastaların ortalama yaşı 75,9±8,7 olup, hastaların %63,1 kadın idi. Hastaların kullandığı ortanca ilaç sayısı 7 (0-17) iken, katılımcıların %79,6’sında polifarmasi mevcuttu. Kırılgan hastaların %69,5 (n=42)’ inde polifarmasi mevcut olup, kırılgan olmayan hastalarda bu oran %22,5 (n=18) idi. Kırılgan hastalarda oral beslenme ürünü, 3-hidroksi-3-metil-glutaril-KoA reduktaz inhibitörleri ve demans tedavisi reçete ihmali oranı anlamlı olarak normal popülasyondan daha fazla idi. Proton pompa inhibitörleri, antipsikotikler, asetilsalisilik asit ve betahistinin uygunsuz kullanım oranı kırılgan hastalarda, kırılgan olmayan hastalardan daha fazla idi. Sonuç: Polifarmasi, PRİ ve PUİK hastalarda değerlendirilirken kırılganlık göz önünde bulundurulmalıdır ve her ülkenin farklı reçeteleme alışkanlığı olmasından dolayı ülkemize özel olan TIME kriterlerinin kullanımı önemli bir avantaj sağlayabilir.

Use of antipsychotics is negatively associated with muscle strength in older adults with sarcopenia after stroke

OBJECTIVE

The use of antipsychotics has been shown to affect activities of daily living during rehabilitation but reports regarding their effects on older patients with sarcopenia are insufficient. We aimed to examine the effect of the use of antipsychotics on muscle strength and muscle mass in older patients with sarcopenia undergoing convalescent rehabilitation after stroke.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a rehabilitation hospital between 2015 and 2020. The study outcomes included skeletal muscle mass index and hand grip strength at discharge. Multivariate analyses were used to determine whether the use of antipsychotics at admission and at 4 weeks after admission were independently associated with the study outcomes, after adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Of the 619 stroke patients admitted, 196 (mean age 81 years; 44.4% men) had sarcopenia at admission and were included in the final analysis. The median hand grip strength and median skeletal muscle mass index values were 12.5 (5.9-17.9) kg and 5.1 (4.5-6.0) kg/m², respectively. In the multivariate analyses, the use of antipsychotics at 4 weeks post-admission was independently associated with hand grip strength at discharge (β = -0.125, p = 0.008), which was not the case when used at admission. Furthermore, the use of antipsychotics at admission and at 4 weeks after admission were not significantly associated with the skeletal muscle mass index at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of antipsychotics in older patients with sarcopenia after stroke was negatively associated with handgrip strength at discharge.

Nutritional Status and Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Elderly

(1) Background: The association between polypharmacy and malnutrition has been investigated in several studies; however, few of these specifically deepened the relationship between potentially inappropriate medication and malnutrition. With a descriptive approach, the primary aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the nutritional status, assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), on potentially inappropriate medications (PIM), estimated 10-year survival, and the risk of adverse drug reactions in elderly patients; the secondary aim was to evaluate how the Screening Tool of Older People’s Prescriptions (STOPP), Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (START), and BEERS 2019 criteria identify PIM compared to nutritional status. (2) Methods: In this study, 3091 subjects were enrolled, of whom 2748 (71.7%) were women; the median age was 80 years, with an interquartile range between 75 and 85 years of age. The subjects were assessed at the outpatient service for frail older people of the University Hospital of Cagliari. The study population was evaluated for their: MNA, Charlson Comorbidity Index, 10-year survival estimation, BEERS 2019, STOPP and START criteria, and ADR Risk scores. (3) Results: We divided the study population into three groups: MNA1 (MNA score ≥ 24), MNA2 (23.5−17), and MNA3 (<17): the severity of comorbidities, STOPP and START alerts, and BEERS 2019 criteria were significantly worse in both MNA2 and MNA3 compared to MNA1—with the exception of BEERS “non-anti-infective medications that should be avoided or have their dosage reduced with varying levels of kidney function in older adults”. Moreover, the estimated 10-year survival was significantly higher in MNA1 than in MNA2 and MNA3, and also in MNA2 compared to MNA3. Finally, the ADR risk scores were significantly lower in MNA1 than in MNA2 and MNA3. (4) Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the association between nutritional status and PIM checked with the BEERS 2019 criteria, and, for the first time, with the STOPP and START criteria.

Validation of the five-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) in a Turkish elderly population

BACKGROUND

Late-life depression is a geriatric syndrome which should be taken seriously. Many clinical scales have been developed for the screening of geriatric depression. Most of these have been validated at different times and in diverse populations. A five-question version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) was developed in 1997. This test has been validated and used in different populations. In the present study, we plan to validate the GDS-5 for the Turkish elderly population.

METHODS

Patients aged 60 years and older who applied to the Geriatrics Clinic of our hospital between November 2018 and November 2019 were included in the study. We compared the effectiveness of Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale-30 (YGDS-30) and GDS-5 in screening depression, based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) depression criteria.

RESULTS

Four hundred participants were included in the study. A significant positive correlation was found between the DSM-5 scale and the GDS-5 scale (rho = 0.726, P <0.001). According to DSM-5, YGDS-30 and GDS-5, 112 participants (28%), 154 patients (%38.5) and 199 patients (%49.8) were diagnosed with depression respectively. When the cut-off value was taken as ≥2, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values for the GDS-5 scale were determined as 96%, 68%, 54%, and 98%, respectively. We obtained these diagnostic measures with 95% confidence intervals.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated the validity and reliability of the GDS-5 for Turkish elderly populations. This five-question scale will be significant in daily use to screen for depression in elderly individuals with multiple problems.

Deterioration of Nutritional Status and Its Negative Association with Depression Among Older HIV-Infected Asian Population: A Four-Year Longitudinal Study

There is limited evidence about the long-term changes in nutritional status among the elderly people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). We aimed to investigate the changes in nutritional status and related factors over 4 years in the elderly PLWH. The longitudinal study was conducted prospectively among 250 PLWH, 50 years of age and older, receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Thai Depression Scale (TDS) to assess nutritional status and depression, respectively, were performed at the outpatient clinic both at baseline and 4-year follow-up. Majority were male (60.8%) with median age of 58 years. The median CD4 was 612.5 cells/mm³ and 98% had HIV RNA <50 copies/mL. Median duration of ART was 20 years. Median body mass index was 23.1 kg/m². The most common ART were rilpivirine (45.2%) and dolutegravir (18.8%). Fifty-one patients (20.4%) deteriorated in nutritional status and mean MNA scores declined (25.8 vs. 24.8, p < .001) at follow-up period. In multivariate analysis, high TDS scores (odds ratio [OR], 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17-1.52), polypharmacy (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.10-1.65), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) were associated factors of deterioration in nutritional status. In this 4-year longitudinal follow-up, 20% of the aging PLWH have deterioration of nutritional status. High TDS scores (depression), polypharmacy, and high HDL-C were significantly associated with declining nutritional status. Our findings highlight the importance of screening and monitoring nutritional and depression status in routine HIV treatment and care for geriatric HIV-infected population.

The Role of Nutritional Status on Polypharmacy, Cognition, and Functional Capacity of Institutionalized Elderly: A Systematic Review

Adequate nutritional status is necessary for the proper management of polypharmacy, the prevention of cognitive decline, and the maintenance of functional capacity in activities of daily living. Although several studies validate this fact for the general elderly population, data on institutionalized seniors concerning this relation are scarce. A systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines, aiming to study the potential correlation between nutritional status and polypharmacy, cognitive decline, and functional performance in institutionalized elders. The search was limited to studies in English or Portuguese in the last decade. Inclusion criteria relied on the PICO method. Five studies explored the relationship of nutritional status with cognitive performance in the institutionalized elderly, and nine prospective observational studies reported significant positive associations between appropriate nutritional status and physical abilities. Nutritional status was primarily measured by MNA. Adequate nutritional status was described as an important parameter in preventing cognitive and functional decline in the institutionalized elderly. No studies were found describing the impact of nutritional status on the prevention of polypharmacy. Given the strong impact of malnutrition found in the studies in cognition and functional abilities in the institutionalized elderly, an evaluation of nutritional status of the elders is crucial to prevent health problems and allow early intervention programs in order to further prevent health decline.

Relationship between functional capacity, nutritional status and sociodemographic variables of institutionalized older adults

Abstract Objective To analyze the relationship between functional capacity, nutritional status, and sociodemographic variables of older adults living in long-term care facilities. Method This is a cross-sectional study conducted with 82 institutionalized older adults. For data collection, we used the Barthel Index to assess the degree of independence in the performance of basic activities of daily living and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) to assess the nutritional status of older adults. Data were collected in five geriatric long-term care facilities located in southern Brazil. Ordinal regression analyses were performed to identify associations between contextual social factors, and nutritional status with the functional capacity of institutionalized older adults. Results Most participants showed complete independence in performing activities of daily living (39.0%) and poor nutritional status (59.8%). The multivariate ordinal regression analysis showed that older adults with higher scores in the nutritional assessment are associated with better indicators of functional capacity (OR=1.33; 95% CI=1.15 to 1.54; p<0.001). We did not find an association between educational level, pressure injuries, body mass index, and functionality. Conclusion Nutritional status is a significant predictor for dependency in institutionalized older adults.

Relação entre capacidade funcional, estado nutricional e variáveis sociodemográficas de idosos institucionalizados

Resumo Objetivo Analisar a relação entre a capacidade funcional, o estado nutricional e as variáveis sociodemográficas de idosos residentes em instituições de longa permanência. Método Trata-se de um estudo transversal conduzido com 82 idosos institucionalizados. Para a coleta de dados foram aplicados o Índice de Barthel para avaliação do grau de independência no desempenho das atividades básicas de vida diária e a Mini Avaliação Nutricional (MNA) para a avaliação do estado nutricional dos idosos. Os dados foram coletados em cinco instituições de longa permanência situadas na região Sul do Brasil. Análises de regressão logística ordinal foram realizadas para verificar as associações dos fatores contextuais com a capacidade funcional dos idosos institucionalizados Resultados A maioria dos participantes apresentou independência total no desempenho das atividades de vida diária (39,0%) e estado nutricional deficiente (59,8%). A análise de regressão ordinal multivariada demonstrou que idosos institucionalizados com maiores escores na avaliação nutricional estão associados com melhores indicadores de capacidade funcional (RC=1,33; IC 95%=1,15 a 1,54; p<0,001). Não se encontrou associação entre escolaridade, lesões por pressão, índice de massa corpórea e a capacidade funcional. Conclusão O estado nutricional é um importante preditor para a dependência de idosos institucionalizados.