Relationship Between Frailty and Drug Burden Index in Older Hospitalized Patients

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Pharmacoepidemiology

Background:

• Understanding anticholinergic and sedative drug use in frail older adults is crucial for appropriate medical intervention in super-aging societies.
• Drug Burden Index (DBI) drugs are a concern due to their anticholinergic and sedative effects.
• This study investigates the association between frailty and DBI drug use in hospitalized older patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between frailty and the prescription of Drug Burden Index (DBI) drugs.
• To inform proper medical interventions and promote appropriate drug use in older adults.
• To analyze drug use patterns in frail versus non-frail hospitalized elderly patients.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of hospitalized patients at Kameda Medical Center (Oct 2016-Oct 2017).
• Frailty defined by Barthel Index (<90) or Mini-Mental State Examination (<18).
• Logistic regression analysis adjusted for patient background factors to compare DBI drug use between groups.

Main Results:

• The proportion of Drug Burden Index (DBI) drug users was significantly lower in the frailty group compared to the non-frailty group.
• Adjusted odds ratio for DBI drug use in the frail group was 0.32 (95% CI: 0.24-0.42, p<0.001).
• This indicates a reduced likelihood of DBI drug use among frail hospitalized older patients.

Conclusions:

• Hospitalized older patients with frailty in Japan may have a lower risk of using Drug Burden Index (DBI) drugs.
• Frail older patients might be prescribed drugs more cautiously.
• Clinical practice should consider patient frailty and background factors for drug treatment decisions in the elderly.