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Associations between polypharmacy and physical performance measures in older adults
Serdar Ozkok1, Caglar Ozer Aydin1, Duygu Erbas Sacar1
1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul University, Capa, 34390, Istanbul, Turkey.
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
|October 15, 2021
Summary
Polypharmacy in older adults is linked to poorer physical performance, including slower walking and difficulty standing. This association may explain increased fall risks and highlights the need for further research into medication management.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Physical Therapy
Background:
- Polypharmacy (use of ≥5 medications) is prevalent in older adults and linked to adverse health outcomes.
- Maintaining ambulation is crucial for functional independence in the elderly population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between polypharmacy and specific physical performance measures related to ambulation in older adults.
- To determine if polypharmacy independently predicts poorer physical function in a geriatric outpatient setting.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, cross-sectional study of 392 geriatric outpatients.
- Polypharmacy defined as using 5 or more medications.
- Physical performance assessed using Usual Gait Speed (UGS), Chair Sit-to-Stand Test (CSST), Timed Up and Go (TUG), and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB).
- Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and comorbidities.
Main Results:
- 62.5% of participants had polypharmacy.
- Polypharmacy was significantly associated with poorer SPPB scores (OR=2.4-2.5) and longer CSST times (OR=2.6-3.7).
- An association between polypharmacy and slower UGS was found initially but not after adjusting for comorbidities.
- No significant association was observed between polypharmacy and TUG test results.
Conclusions:
- Polypharmacy is independently associated with impaired physical performance, specifically in the SPPB and CSST.
- The findings suggest that polypharmacy may contribute to the increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults.
- Further longitudinal studies are needed to establish causality between polypharmacy and physical performance decline.
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