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. 2023 Feb;35(2):443-453.
doi: 10.1007/s40520-022-02303-9. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on medication use in the older Italian population

Alessandra Marengoni  1 , Agnese Cangini  2 , Andrea Pierantozzi  2 , Graziano Onder  3 , Roberto Da Cas  4 , Ilaria Ippoliti  4 , Simona Zito  2 , Francesco Trotta  2 ; Italian Working Group on Medication Use in the Elderly
Collaborators, Affiliations

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on medication use in the older Italian population

Alessandra Marengoni et al. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to analyse the impact of the pandemic on the amount of use and new medication dispensation for chronic diseases in the Italian population aged 65 years and older (almost 14 million inhabitants).

Methods: The "Pharmaceutical Prescriptions database", which gathers data on medications, reimbursed by the National Health Service and dispensed by community pharmacies, was employed. Data were analysed as amount of use (defined daily dose-DDD per 1000 inhabitants); variation in DDD between 2020 and 2019 was calculated for the 30 categories with major consumption in 2020. Trends in prevalence and incidence of dispensations between 2020 and 2019 were calculated for four categories: antidiabetics, antihypertensives, antidepressants and drugs for respiratory diseases.

Results: All medications showed a negative variation in DDD/1000 inhabitants between 2020 and 2019 except for anticoagulants (+ 5%). The percentage variation ranged from - 27.7% for antibiotics to - 6.4% for antipsychotics in 85 + year-old persons, but increased for most classes in the youngest (65-69 years). On the other hand, a decrease of the dispensation incidence of antidiabetics, antihypertensives, antidepressants and drugs for pulmonary disease was high, especially in the two extreme age groups, the youngest and the oldest one.

Conclusions and relevance: Great variation in medication use between 2020 and 2019 was observed probably reflecting the low rate of infectious diseases due to the widespread use of protective devices and self-isolation, reduced healthcare access because of the lockdowns and the fear of going to hospital, and the reduction of screening and diagnostics due to health-care system overload.

Keywords: COVID-19; Medications; Older population.

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Conflict of interest statement

No disclosures were reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Antidiabetics: DDD/1000 inhabitants, prevalence and incidence: variation 2020–2019. (a) By sex, (b) by age
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Antihypertensives: DDD/1000 inhabitants, prevalence and incidence: variation 2020–2019. (a) By sex, (b) by age
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drugs: DDD/1000 inhabitants, prevalence and incidence: variation 2020–2019. (a) By sex, (b) by age
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Antidepressants: DDD/1000 inhabitants, prevalence and incidence: variation 2020–2019. (a) By sex, (b) by age
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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