Inquérito sobre uso de medicamentos por idosos aposentados, Belo Horizonte,MG

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To describe self-reported use of medicines by Brazilian elderly retirees focusing on gender differences. METHODS:Household survey conducted in a random sample comprising 667 subjects aged 60 years or more who were living in Belo Horizonte, Southeastern Brazil, in 2003. The elderly were interviewed by pharmacists, using a standardized questionnaire. The prevalence of medicine use and mean use in the 15 days previous to the interview were estimated and then stratifi ed by gender according to sociodemographic and health variables. RESULTS:The prevalence of medicine use was 90.1%, and signifi cantly higher among women (93.4%) than men (84.3%). Women and men took on average 4.6±3.2 and 3.3±2.6 products (p<0.001), respectively. The most frequently used drug category was cardiovascular, followed by nervous system and gastrointestinal tract and metabolism. Women showed higher use in all these drug categories, as well as higher mean number of drugs consumed, according to selected sociodemographic and health variables. CONCLUSIONS:The study identifi ed higher use of medicines by women, making them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of polytherapy, such as drug interactions and inadequate use of medicines.

Birth cohort differences in the use of medications in a Brazilian population of older elderly: the Bambuí cohort study of aging (1997 and 2008)

“…In the current study, the most widely used drug classes (cardiovascular, nervous system, alimentary tract and metabolism, blood and blood forming organs, and musculoskeletal system) reproduce a consumption pattern observed in elderly populations in different countries 13,14 and in Brazil 15,16 . The use of these drug classes relates to treatment and prevention of typical health events for this phase of life, like hypertension, coronary disease, diabetes, and chronic pain.…”

“…Studies in other countries 12,13,14 and in Brazil 15,16 have identified drugs for the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, metabolism, and alimentary tract as the most frequently consumed among the elderly. More recently, changes in the pattern of use of some drug classes have been observed in some populations, especially in the pattern of consumption of drugs for hypertension 17,18 , as well as an increase in the use of lipid modifying 5,17 , psychoactive 19,20 , and antiepileptic drugs 21 .…”

“…In Brazil, pharmacoepidemiological studies have described the prevalence of polypharmacy and associated factors and the most widely consumed drug classes among the elderly population 7,15,16 . However, to our knowledge, no study has been done on differences over time in drug use patterns in this population.…”

Pesquisa e atividades de extensão em fitoterapia desenvolvidas pela Rede FitoCerrado: uso racional de plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos por idosos em Uberlândia-MG

“…Verificou-se que 257 (88%) utilizavam medicamentos prescritos, principalmente para o controle da hipertensão arterial. Esse dado é semelhante ao encontrado em um estudo realizado no Nordeste do Brasil, no qual 80,3% dos idosos da área central faziam uso de pelo menos um medicamento prescrito (Coelho Filho et al, 2004) e de outro estudo em Belo Horizonte onde a prevalência do uso de medicamentos foi de 90,1% (Ribeiro et al, 2008 (Gama & Silva, 2006). Em um hospital geriátrico em Brasília houve uma prevalência de 83,9% de pacientes em uso da fitoterapia (Pereira, 2008).…”

Testes de equilíbrio e mobilidade funcional na predição e prevenção de riscos de quedas em idosos

“…Esses dados estão de acordo com estudos prévios sobre envelhecimento. 26,27 A presença de algumas doenças e o uso de múltiplos medicamentos são considerados fatores de risco para ocorrência de quedas em idosos. 28,29 Neste estudo, 43,4% dos idosos usavam quatro ou mais medicamentos regularmente, indicando que uma parte importante da amostra encontra-se com risco aumentado de cair.…”