Keywords
Older adults
Drug-drug interactions
Adverse drug reactions
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Abstract
Objective: To assess the association between morbidities, prescribed medications, potential drug-drug interactions, and events recorded and classified as possible adverse drug reactions (ADR) in older adults with polypharmacy. Methods: Cross-sectional, retrospective study using 264 medical records of individuals aged 60 years or older continuously using four or more medications at a geriatric clinic between January and June 2023. Descriptive analyses and association tests were performed (5% significance level). Results: The number of morbidities was associated with the number of prescribed medications (p < 0.001). Categories C and D were identified in 61.8% and 31.8% of participants. The number of medications was associated with type B (p = 0.010), C (p < 0.001), and D (p = 0.003) interactions and with events classified as type F ADR (p = 0.003). Only events classified as type A and F ADR were recorded. Events classified as type F ADR were also associated with type B (p = 0.049) and C (p < 0.001) interactions. Conclusion: The number of morbidities was associated with the number of medications, which was associated with potential drug-drug interactions and events classified as type F ADR, reinforcing the importance of individualized pharmacotherapy review.
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