Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
26th National and 1st International Pharmacology Congress, Online, Turkey, İstanbul, Türkiye, 4 - 06 Kasım 2021, ss.186
Objectives: In order to provide more effective service in primary care, there is a need for studies specific to different geriatric groups, which may require alternative approaches in the treatment of diseases such as hypertension, whose incidence increases with age. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate inappropriate drug use in old and very old patients.
Material-Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the prescriptions were examined including the diagnosis of “essential hypertension” prescribed to geriatric(≥65 years) patients and 1431 from 4293 family medicine units in Istanbul in the year 2016 selected by systematic sampling. The patients aged between 65-79 years were considered as “old” (O) and patients ≥80 years were considered as “very old” (VO). The inappropriate drugs in the prescriptions were evaluated in elderly according to Beers Criterias. The distribution of drugs inappropriate for O and VO groups were compared.
Results: A total 1.621.031 drugs from prescriptions with the diagnosis of “hypertension” were prescribed to O and 526.458 to VO. 6.6% of these drugs in O and 6.8% in VO were classified as inappropriate according the Beers Criterias (p<0,00001). 70.5% and 66.2% of inappropriate drugs consisted of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs respectively. Among the cardiovascular drugs, inappropriate drugs were significantly higher in VO compared to O (3.2% and 2.7% respectively, p<0,00001). Inappropriate prescriptions among antihypertensives were significantly higher in VO compared to O (2.8% and 2.6% respectively, p=0,0032). The most frequently encountered inappropriate antihypertensive was doxazosin in both groups (98.5% and 98,1% respectively).
Conclusion: It is noteworthy that drugs that are considered “inappropriate” are prescribed at a substantial rate to geriatric patients in primary care especially to VO group. This study points out the necessity of avoiding the use of antihypertensive agents such as alpha-blockers and inappropriate analgesics unless absolutely necessary in geriatric hypertensive patients.