Physical Condition and Risk of Hospitalization and Polypharmacy in Older Adults

Hospitalization in older population leads to a decline in physical function, physical condition, and independency. However, a scarce number of studies has addressed the effect of being in good physical condition on the risk of hospitalization and polypharmacy in older people. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between physical condition and other health factors, and the incidence of hospitalization and polypharmacy in Spanish older persons. For this cross-sectional study we recruited 102 institutionalized persons aged 80 years or older, who were being treated at three primary care centers. The data collected were number of hospitalizations and medications, dietary habits, nutrition status, quality of life, independence in activities of daily life, physical performance, and associated genotype data. Scoring higher in the tests Chair stand and 8-Foot Up-and-go was found associated with reduced risks of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = 0.45 [95% CI = 0.2-0.99]; OR 0.32 [95% CI = 0.12-0.86]) and polypharmacy (OR = 0.36 [95% CI = 0.16-0.8]; OR = 0.28 [95% CI = 0.1-0.78]). The number of medications was also lower in individuals with a greater aerobic capacity and activities of daily life independence (OR = 0.28 [95% CI = 0.1-0.78]; OR = 0.37 [95% CI = 0.16-0.82]). No associations were found with the remaining physical performance tests or other factors assessed. Our findings point to benefits of greater strength, balance, and aerobic capacity in terms of reducing the risk of hospitalization and polypharmacy.