Abstract:
Background Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are one of the factors for adverse drug reactions. It is necessary to identify and avoid DDIs to optimize the efficacy of drug therapy in elderly patients.
Objective To study the prevalence of potentially clinically significant DDIs and related influencing factors in elderly patients in the communities, and provide evidence for rational drug use in the elderly.
Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2018 to April 2022 in a cohort of older adults ≥65 years old in three communities in Beijing. The occurrence of potential DDIs in patients' long-term medication use was assessed using the International Consensus List of Potentially Clinically Significant DDIs in Older People, and risk factors for potential DDIs were analyzed by Logistic regression.
Results A total of 683 elderly patients with a median age (interquartile spacing) of 84 (79 - 88) years were included, and 202 (29.6%) patients had at least one potential DDIs. The more the number of drugs used, the higher the probability of potential DDIs (compared with 2-4: 5-9, OR=2.751, 95%CI: 1.627-4.652, P<0.001; 10-14, OR=5.006, 95% CI: 2.813-8.907, P<0.001; ≥15, OR=11.27, 95% CI: 5.140-24.711, P<0.001). Patients in frail status (OR=1.757, 95% CI: 1.184-2.606, P=0.005), with PIM (OR=2.722, 95% CI: 1.863-3.976, P<0.001), and cardiovascular disease (OR=6.759, 95% CI: 1.549-29.501, P=0.011) had a higher risk of potential DDIs. The most common potential DDIs were the concomitant use of more than two potassium-preserving drugs, and aspirin was used by patients in all potential DDIs related to NSAIDs.
Conclusion Potentially clinically significant DDIs are common in elderly patients in the community. Special attention should be paid to the occurrence of DDIs in elderly patients with polypharmacy, frailty, cardiovascular disease, and PIM, and to enhancing the monitoring of risks associated with potential DDIs to optimize pharmacotherapy outcomes and reduce adverse outcomes.