Do medicines commonly used by older adults impact their nutrient status?

Chronic health conditions and polypharmacy are common among the older population and associated with increased risks of adverse events, medicine-interactions, geriatric syndromes, falls and mortality. Poor nutrition is also common in older people. Causal associations between medication use and older people's nutrient status is seldom discussed.

The objectives of this review were to summarise the literature reporting associations between medicines commonly prescribed to older adults and nutrient deficiencies, and to discuss the clinical implications and management.

Medicine information resources (n = 5) were searched for information about nutrient deficiencies associated with common medicines used by older people and listed within the top 50 medicines prescribed by volume on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. This was followed by a search for clinical studies published on PubMed from inception to April 2020. Data was extracted, tabulated and summarised with clinical information relevant to pharmacists and clinicians involved in the care of older people taking medicines.

A total of 23 clinical studies were identified reporting medicine-induced nutrient deficiencies in older adults. Vitamin B12, sodium, magnesium were identified as the 3 main nutrients susceptible to deficiency by medicines used to treat cardiovascular disease, neurological conditions, gastrointestinal conditions, and diabetes. The coenzyme CoQ10 was depleted by statins.Conclusion: Certain medicines commonly prescribed to older adults are associated with nutrient deficiencies that may be clinically significant. Given the high prevalence of comorbidities and polypharmacy it is possible that some of these individual drug-induced nutrient deficiencies are compounded, warranting both clinical and research attention.