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Published on: April 22, 2022
Polypharmacy in the elderly from the clinical toxicologist perspective
H J Heppner1, M Christ, M Gosch
1Department of Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine, Klinikum Nuremberg, Prof.-E.-Nathan-Str. 1, 90419, Nuremberg, Germany. heppner@klinikum-nuernberg.de
Zeitschrift Fur Gerontologie Und Geriatrie
|August 24, 2012
Summary
Elderly polypharmacy leads to poison center calls and intensive care needs, particularly for psychopharmaceuticals and analgesics. Targeted prevention strategies are crucial for this population.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Polypharmacy is common in the elderly, often linked to multiple health conditions (multimorbidity).
- This increases the risk of adverse drug events and dangerous drug interactions in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy among elderly individuals.
- To analyze inquiries made to the Poison Information Centre Nuremberg (PICN) and cases requiring toxicological intensive care therapy in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from 2006-2009 on PICN inquiries and toxicological intensive care unit (T-ICU) patients aged over 70.
- Focused on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug poisonings in the geriatric population.
Main Results:
- 1.5% of PICN calls and 4.8% of T-ICU patients were over 70.
- Most frequent calls involved psychopharmaceuticals and analgesics.
- In T-ICU cases, psychopharmaceuticals, tricyclic antidepressants, and analgesics were common; 18.3% involved co-ingestion with ethanol.
Conclusions:
- There is a need for tailored poison prevention strategies for the elderly.
- Recommendations include pharmacist interventions, enhanced prescriber education on geriatric care, and improved drug databases.
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