Pharmacotherapy in the extreme longevity.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Pharmacology
• Public Health

Background:

• Increased longevity leads to a higher prevalence of chronic-degenerative diseases and polypharmacy.
• Understanding drug consumption patterns in the ultra-longevity population is crucial for managing health.
• Centenarians represent a unique demographic for studying long-term health and medication use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the drug consumption patterns of centenarians.
• To compare medication use with the clinical conditions of the ultra-longevity population.
• To identify factors influencing drug use and adverse drug events (ADE) in centenarians.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 602 centenarians.
• Data collection included clinical history, objective examinations, and clinico-functional evaluations.
• Pharmacological anamnesis was obtained from 555 participants.

Main Results:

• 95% of centenarians used regular pharmacological therapy, with a mean daily consumption of 2.7 drugs.
• 20.7% of centenarians were in good clinical condition; 75.7% of these used 1-3 drugs daily.
• Adverse drug events (ADE) occurred in 15.2% of participants, often associated with polypharmacy.

Conclusions:

• Mean daily drug consumption in centenarians was lower than in the general elderly population.
• Factors such as past health, physician attention, and caregiver involvement may influence medication use.
• Managing polypharmacy and ADE is essential even in the ultra-longevity demographic.