The prevalence of polypharmacy among older adults in Ulaanbaatar

Abstract

Background: The older adult population continues to grow. In Mongolia, the population aged 60 and over accounted for 7.69 percent of the total population in 2021, while it is excepted to reach 11.9 percent in 2030 and 21.1 percent by 2050. Compared to other age groups, older adults more often have multimorbidity due to organ dysfunction and more frequently use medical services. Thus, they are more vulnerable to drug-related problems such as polypharmacy, the use of potientally inappropriate medications and adverse drug reactions. Aim: To study the use of polypharmacy in older adults who is visiting family health care centers in 6 districts of Ulaanbaatar city. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 family health care centers of 6 districts of Ulaanbaatar city. The study population included 420 older adults, women aged 55 years and men aged 60 years or older. Results: 17.1% (n=72) of the respondents have polypharmacy. In terms of gender, women (n=62, 20.4%) used more drugs than men (n=10, 8.6%) (p=0.005). Also, 13.8%-18.3% of older adults aged 55-75 have polypharmacy, while 50% of older adults aged 76-80 and 12.5% of older adults over 81 years had polypharmacy (p=0.006). 7.4% (n=31) of the older adults were using potentially inappropriate medication according to Beers criteria. Polypharmacy was 3.6 times more likely (cOR=3.611, p=0.001), 3 times more likely when adjusted by age group and sex (aOR=3.015, p=0.009), and 2.5 times more likely when weighted by age group and sex (wOR=2.544, p=0.026) is at risk of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use. Conclusion: In Ulaanbaatar, the prevalence of polypharmacy among older adults is 17.1%. In terms of gender, the prevalence is higher in women (20.4%). According to Beers criteria, the prevalence of PIM use in older adults is 7.4%. Polypharmacy is a risk factor for inappropriate drug use in older adults.