Polypharmacy in the Elderly: A Double-Edged Sword

Purpose: Polypharmacy is a very important geriatric syndrome related to critical health conditions. The purpose of this study is to research the association of polypharmacy with comprehensive geriatric assessment’s (CGA) various parameters which are indicators of health and life quality in older individuals. Material and Methods: 515 older adults admitted to a university hospital were included in this cross-sectional study. Along with CGA, European Quality of Life (EQ-5D) was performed on the participants. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to evaluate depressive symptoms. Daily living activities were assessed by using Lawton & Brody index of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). The Full Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire was performed to evaluate nutritional status. Results: The participants’ mean age was 72.2±6.3 years and 58.6% of them were female. 242 participants using 5 or more drugs were included in the polypharmacy group. The polypharmacy group had lower IADL, MNA, EQ-5D, HGS, and gait speed scores and higher GDS scores compared to those without polypharmacy. According to the correlation analysis results, the number of the medications had a moderate positive correlation with GDS scores and a moderate negative correlation with EQ-5D and MNA. Conclusion: As the number of medications increases; patients tend to have depression, malnutrition, and a decline in functional status. Polypharmacy also impairs the quality of life. It will be wise to address polypharmacy as a crucial health problem, optimize the number of medications and thereby make the health condition better.