scholarly journals The evolution of polypharmacy: appropriate and problematic polypharmacy, choosing the right strategy and tactics

2021 ◽  
pp. 150-157
Author(s):  
M. V. Leonova

The evolution of polypharmacy, which for many years consisted of quantifying concurrently prescribed drugs, has led to an qualitative description: “appropriate polypharmacy”, which may be beneficial for some patients, and “problematic polypharmacy”, which is harmful. The concept of “appropriate polypharmacy” is to prescribe multiple drugs based on the best evidence, taking into account the patient’s clinical condition and potential drug-drug interactions. With age, the prevalence of geriatric syndromes, comorbidity/multimorbidity, and limitation of life expectancy increase, which reduces the positive benefit/risk ratio for most drugs. The problem with polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of adverse reactions, drug-drug interactions, and decreased patient compliance. To improve polypharmacy, various methodologies are used to optimize drug use for maximum benefit and least harm. Such interventions include professional patient counseling, the use of additional tools (including Bierce’s criteria, STOPP/START, MAI index, etc.), electronic decision-making systems, educational programs. The effectiveness of interventions to reduce polypharmacy has been evaluated in several Cochrane meta-analyzes (2012, 2014, 2018) and showed a decrease in drug misuse and the risk of ADR, but there was no effect on mortality, and few studies found a decrease in the number of hospitalizations. The deprescribing methodology is especially relevant in the context of problematic polypharmacy and is considered an integral component of the continuum of good prescribing practice, promoted as a strategy to reduce polypharmacy and improve patient outcomes. Among other interventions, deprescribing has the most evidence for its utility in preventing drugrelated complications, improving clinical outcomes, and reducing costs. The International Group for Reducing Inappropriate Medication Use & Polypharmacy (IGRIMUP) in 2018 developed 10 recommendations to reduce polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate drugs. Thus, the concept of “appropriate polypharmacy” is a rational approach to optimizing polypharmacy; it should be promoted to replace existing thresholds.

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 588-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andressa Rodrigues Pagno ◽  
Carolina Baldissera Gross ◽  
Daiana Meggiolaro Gewehr ◽  
Christiane de Fátima Colet ◽  
Evelise Moraes Berlezi

Abstract Objective: to investigate the use of drugs, potential drug interactions and iatrogenesis, as factors associated with frailty. Method: an observational, cross-sectional, population-based study of elderly persons registered with the Family Health Strategies of the urban area of a municipal region in the south of Brazil was carried out. The sample was probabilistic and involved 554 elderly persons; and the proportional stratified sampling technique by FHS and gender was used. Data collection was performed in the home, with the gathering of information regarding sociodemographic characteristics and pharmacotherapeutic profile and the evaluation of frailty based on Fried et al. (2001). Results: medications were taken by 86.3% of the elderly and there was a prevalence of frailty of 63.0%. A total of 39.4% of the elderly were exposed to polypharmacy, 49.1% used potentially inappropriate medications and 52.2% were exposed to potential drug interactions, the most frequent being enalapril and metformin. An association between increased risk of frailty and the variables: polypharmacy; use of potentially inappropriate medications; potential drug interactions; more than two potential drug interactions with the presence or absence of potentially inappropriate medication was identified. Conclusion: an association was found between frailty and polypharmacy, the use of potentially inappropriate medication and the presence of drug interactions. The findings underscore the importance of the monitoring of drug therapy in this population group with a view to the early detection, prevention and resolution of iatrogenesis arising from the use of medicines.


Geriatrics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Pietro Gareri ◽  
Luca Gallelli ◽  
Antonino Maria Cotroneo ◽  
Valeria Graziella Laura Manfredi ◽  
Giovambattista De Sarro

Prescription for inappropriate drugs can be dangerous to the elderly due to the increased risk of adverse drug reactions and drug-interactions. In this manuscript, we report the complexity of polypharmacy and the possible harmful consequences in an old person. An 81-year-old man with a clinical history of diabetes, blood hypertension, non-valvular atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoarthritis, anxiety, and depression, was admitted to our attention for cognitive disorders and dementia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed parenchymal atrophy with lacunar state involving thalami and internal capsules. Neuropsychological tests revealed cognitive impairment and a depressed mood. History revealed that he was taking 11 different drug severy day with a potential risk of 55 drug–drug interactions. Therefore, risperidone, chlorpromazine, N-demethyl-diazepam, and L-DOPA/carbidopa were gradually discontinued and citicoline (1g/day), cholecalciferol (50,000 IU once a week), and escitalopram (5 mg/day) were started. Furthermore, he started a program of home rehabilitation. During the follow-up, three months later, we recorded an improvement in both mood and cognitive tests, as well as in walking ability. The present case report shows the need for a wise prescription and deprescribing in older people.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (04) ◽  
pp. e369-e379
Author(s):  
Amanda Yeaton-Massey ◽  
Rebecca J. Baer ◽  
Larry Rand ◽  
Laura L. Jelliffe-Pawlowski ◽  
Deirdre J. Lyell

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate rates of preterm birth (PTB) and obstetric complication with maternal serum analytes > 2.5 multiples of the median (MoM) by degree of elevation. Study Design Retrospective cohort study of singleton live-births participating in the California Prenatal Screening Program (2005–2011) examining PTB and obstetric complication for α-fetoprotein (AFP), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), unconjugated estriol (uE3), and inhibin A (INH) by analyte subgroup (2.5 to < 6.0, 6.0 to < 10.0, and ≥ 10.0 MoM vs. < 2.5 MoM). Results The risk of obstetric complication increased with increasing hCG, AFP, and INH MoM, and were greatest for AFP and INH of 6.0 to <10.0 MoM. The greatest risk of any adverse outcome was seen for hCG MoM ≥ 10.0, with relative risk (RR) of PTB < 34 weeks of 40.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.7–77.0) and 13.8 (95% CI: 8.2–23.1) for obstetric complication. Conclusions In euploid, structurally normal fetuses, all analyte elevations > 2.5 MoM confer an increased risk of PTB and, except for uE3, obstetric complication, and risks for each are not uniformly linear. These data can help guide patient counseling and antenatal management.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522110120
Author(s):  
Deniz C Guven ◽  
Gozde Kavgaci ◽  
Oktay H Aktepe ◽  
Hasan C Yildirim ◽  
Taha K Sahin ◽  
...  

Introduction Polypharmacy is a common problem in older cancer patients, although the data about polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate prescription practices is limited in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the polypharmacy frequency and drug-drug interactions in older cancer patients (≥65 years) treated with ICIs. Methods A total of 70 geriatric patients with advanced cancer were included. The polypharmacy was defined as regular use of 5 or more drugs. The START/STOPP Criteria Version 2 was used for the potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and potential prescription omissions (PPO). The Medscape Drug Interaction Checker was used for potential drug-drug interactions. Results The patients had a median of 6 regular drugs, and polypharmacy was present in 77.1%. The polypharmacy risk was significantly increased in patients over 75 years of age (p = 0.028) and with opioid use (p = 0.048). The 50% of patients had category D or X interactions. Patients with higher Charlson Comorbidity Index had significantly increased risk for drug interactions (CCI ≤10 vs. >10, p = 0.017). The PIMs were present in 44.3% and the PPOs in 68.6% of the patients. While the overall survival and immune related adverse events were similar according to polypharmacy, in patients using seven or more drugs, the acute kidney injury risk was increased (HR: 4.667, p = 0.038). Conclusion In this study, we observed a high rate of polypharmacy and inappropriate prescription practices in ICI-treated patients. These issues pointed out the need for improved general medical care and attention for better comedication management in ICI-treated patients.


2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110121
Author(s):  
Guido Barosco ◽  
Roberta Morbio ◽  
Francesca Chemello ◽  
Roberto Tosi ◽  
Giorgio Marchini

Purpose: This report describes a case of bilateral primary angle closure (PAC) progressing to unilateral end-stage primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) associated with treatment for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection. Methods: A 64-year-old man came to our attention because of blurred vision after a 2-month hospital stay for treatment of COVID-19 infection. Examination findings revealed PACG, with severe visual impairment in the right eye and PAC in the left eye due to plateau iris syndrome. The patient’s severe clinical condition and prolonged systemic therapy masked the symptoms and delayed the diagnosis. Medical chart review disclosed the multifactorial causes of the visual impairment. Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) aided in diagnosis and subsequent therapy. Results: The cause behind the primary angle closure and the iridotrabecular contact was eliminated by bilateral cataract extraction, goniosynechialysis, and myotic therapy. Conclusions: COVID-19 treatment may pose an increased risk for PAC. Accurate recording of patient and family ophthalmic history is essential to prevent its onset. Recognition of early signs of PAC is key to averting its progression to PACG.


2013 ◽  
Vol 202 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eamon J. McCrory ◽  
Stéphane A. De Brito ◽  
Philip A. Kelly ◽  
Geoffrey Bird ◽  
Catherine L. Sebastian ◽  
...  

BackgroundChildhood adversity is associated with significantly increased risk of psychiatric disorder. To date, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of children have mainly focused on institutionalisation and investigated conscious processing of affect.AimsTo investigate neural response to pre-attentively presented affect cues in a community sample of children with documented experiences of maltreatment in the home.MethodA masked dot-probe paradigm involving pre-attentive presentation of angry, happy and neutral facial expressions was employed. Eighteen maltreated children were compared with 23 carefully matched non-maltreated peers.ResultsIncreased neural response was observed in the right amygdala for pre-attentively presented angry and happy faces in maltreated v. non-maltreated children. Level of amygdala activation was negatively associated with age at onset for several abuse subtypes.ConclusionsMaltreatment is associated with heightened neural response to positive and negative facial affect, even to stimuli outside awareness. This may represent a latent neural risk factor for future psychiatric disorder.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 20-22
Author(s):  
Faris Salman Faza

The existence of the COVID-19 outbreak has an impact on all sectors of life, one of which is in the education sector, many schools are forced to dismiss their students and teaching and learning activities are carried out online. the transition of Geography teaching and learning activities at MA PPPI Miftahussalam Banyumas from face to face to online creates new problems in learning so that a special strategy is needed in this learning. Although online learning is not effective for achieving learning goals, the teacher must be able to make new innovations so that learning objectives can be achieved. This study uses a qualitative description method by observing the behavior of students when online learning takes place. Learning online Geography class XII at MA PPPI Miftahussalam Banyumas uses educational games. This study aims to find out the right media in learning Geography class XII during the COVID-19 pandemic at MA PPPI Miftahussalam Banyumas. The results of this study showed that 76 students of class XII MA PPPI Miftahussalam Banyumas who had taken the test showed an average value> 8.00. This shows satisfactory results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Douglas Bretzing ◽  
Tasnim Lat ◽  
Andrew Shakespeare ◽  
Mary Lee ◽  
Salim Surani ◽  
...  

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have an increased risk of inoculation with nontyphoid Salmonella compared to the general population. While nontyphoid Salmonella commonly manifests as gastroenteritis, Salmonella bacteremia can be seen in patients with HIV. We present a case of disseminated Salmonellosis in a patient with HIV complicated by bronchopleural fistula and secondary empyema. Case Presentation. A 40-year-old African American male with HIV noncompliant with HAART therapy presented with complaints of generalized weakness, weight loss, cough, night sweats, and nonbloody, watery diarrhea of four weeks’ duration. A computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a bilobed large, thick-walled cavitary lesion in the right upper lobe communicating with the pleural space to form a bronchopleural fistula. Thoracentesis yielded growth of nontyphi Salmonella species consistent with empyema; he was treated with intravenous Ceftriaxone and underwent placement of chest tube for drainage of empyema with instillation of alteplase/dornase twice daily for three days. Repeat CT chest showed a hydropneumothorax. The patient subsequently underwent video-assisted thoracoscopy with decortication. The patient continued to improve and follow-up CT chest demonstrated improved loculated right pneumothorax with resolution of the right bronchopleural fistula and resolution of the cavitary lesions. Discussion. We describe one of the few cases of development of bronchopulmonary fistula and the formation of empyema in the setting of disseminated Salmonella. Empyema complicated by bronchopulmonary fistula likely led to failure of intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy and the patient ultimately required decortication in addition to antibiotics. While Salmonella bacteremia can be seen in immunocompromised patients, extraintestinal manifestations of Salmonella infection such as empyema and bronchopleural fistulas are uncommon. Bronchopleural fistulas most commonly occur as a postoperative complication of pulmonary resection. Conclusions. This case highlights the unusual pulmonary manifestations that can occur due to disseminated Salmonella in an immunocompromised patient as well as complex management decisions related to these complications.


2013 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Fernanda Reis Gavazzoni Dias ◽  
Maria Victoria Pinto Quaresma-Santos ◽  
Fred Bernardes-Filho ◽  
Adriana Gutstein da Fonseca Amorim ◽  
Regina Casz Schechtman ◽  
...  

Superficial fungal infections of the hair, skin and nails are a major cause of morbidity in the world. Choosing the right treatment is not always simple because of the possibility of drug interactions and side effects. The first part of the article discusses the main treatments for superficial mycoses - keratophytoses, dermatophytosis, candidiasis, with a practical approach to the most commonly-used topical and systemic drugs , referring also to their dosage and duration of use. Promising new, antifungal therapeutic alternatives are also highlighted, as well as available options on the Brazilian and world markets.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. M. Geraedts ◽  
Meindert N. Sosef ◽  
Jan Willem M. Greve ◽  
Mechteld C. de Jong

Purpose. The impact of an out-of-hours laparoscopic cholecystectomy on outcome is controversial. We sought to determine the association between an out-of-hours procedure and postoperative complications within 90 days. Methods. Between 2014 and 2016, 1553 laparoscopic cholecystectomies were performed. Therapeutic, operative, and outcome data were prospectively collected and analyzed. We defined out of hours as during weekends, national holidays, and daily between 5PM and 8AM. Results. Most patients operated on were female (n=988; 63.6%) and the majority of procedures were electives (n=1341; 86.3%). Although all procedures were performed with a laparoscopic intent, 42 (2.7%) were converted to open procedure. In total, 145 (9.3%) procedures were out of hours, all nonelective, and in most cases for acute cholecystitis (n=111; 7.1%). Overall, there were 212 complications in 191 patients (12.3%), most (n=153; 9.9%) classified as minor. The conversion rate in the out-of-hours group was significantly higher (9.7% vs 2.0%; p<0.001). While univariate analyses revealed out-of-hours procedure (OR=1.83; p=0.008) to be associated with an increased risk of complications, when controlling for confounding factors by multivariate analysis, this association was not found. However, operation by surgical staff (OR=1.71) and conversion to laparotomy (OR=3.74) were found to be independently associated with an increased risk of complications (both p<0.05), while an emergency procedure tended to be associated with postoperative morbidity (OR=1.82; p=0.069). Conclusion. An out-of-hours laparoscopic cholecystectomy was not found to be an independent risk factor for developing postoperative morbidity and time of day should therefore only be a relative contraindication.


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