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. 2022 Jun;88(6):2988-2995.
doi: 10.1111/bcp.15211. Epub 2022 Jan 27.

Is polypharmacy associated with mortality in the very old: Findings from the Newcastle 85+ Study

Laurie E Davies  1 , Andrew Kingston  1 , Adam Todd  2 , Barbara Hanratty  1
Affiliations

Is polypharmacy associated with mortality in the very old: Findings from the Newcastle 85+ Study

Laurie E Davies et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Polypharmacy is common in the very old (≥85 years), where little is known about its association with mortality. We aimed to investigate the association between polypharmacy and all-cause mortality in the very old, over an 11-year time period. Data were drawn from the Newcastle 85+ Study (741), a cohort of people who were born in 1921 and turned 85 in 2006. Survival analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying covariates, wherein polypharmacy was operationalised continuously. Each additional medication prescribed was associated with a 3% increased risk of mortality (hazard ratio: 1.03, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.06). Amongst the very old, the risks and benefits of each additional medication prescribed should be carefully considered.

Keywords: mortality; polypharmacy; very old.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

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