Background: Due to advanced age, multimorbidity and polypharmacotherapy, older patients are predisposed to drug interactions and the adverse effects of inappropriate drug combinations.
Objectives: To provide up-to-date data on predisposing factors and the prevalence of possible drug interactions in the Polish geriatric population and to promote automated analysis programs as part of safe pharmacotherapy.
Material and methods: We used the Lexicomp® Drug Interactions database to assess pharmacological interactions between active substances included in all types of preparations (prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, nutritional preparations, and dietary supplements) used at least once in the 2 weeks preceding the study, among 2633 home-dwelling people aged >65 years. The variables measured included age, sex, place of residence, level of education, and multimorbidity. Post-stratification was used to weigh the sample structure against the Polish population in 2017.
Results: Drug interactions were identified in 81.2% of all individuals. The mean number (with 95% confidence interval (95% CI)) of all drug interactions was 4.24 (4.02-4.46), and the median value (with 1st and 3rd quartiles (Q1-Q3)) was 3 (1-6). At least 1 category C interaction was observed in 75.8% of all study participants, 24.3% had 1 or more category D interaction, and 4.3% had 1 or more category X interaction. The most important predisposing factor to drug interactions was multimorbidity.
Conclusions: This study identified a high prevalence of potential drug interactions in the Polish geriatric population. Automated analysis systems deliver useful information on pharmacological interactions and should be promoted in the Polish healthcare community as tools to support pharmacotherapy.
Keywords: control; drug interactions; geriatric; medical error prevention; medication errors; multimorbidity; polypharmacy.