Depression and Drug Utilization in an Elderly Population

Overview

Journal Ther Clin Risk Manag

Publisher Dove Medical Press

Date 2008 Mar 25

PMID 18360544

Citations 6

Authors

Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi

Andrea Corsonello

Claudio Pedone

Francesco Corica

Pierugo Carbonin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To verify whether depression, defined as a 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) > 6, is associated with greater drug utilization by elderly patients.

Population: 2568 patients enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano di Farmacovigilanza nell'Anziano (GIFA) study.

Main Outcome Measure: Polypharmacy, ie, the daily use of at least 3 drugs, excluding antidepressant and anxiolytic agents, in the month prior to admission.

Method: Home therapy data were collected according to a validated procedure. Correlates of polypharmacy were assessed by logistic regression analysis in the whole population and in subgroups for which indexes of disease severity were available.

Results: GDS > 6 was found to be positively correlated with polypharmacy (odds ratio 1.22; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.48) as were older age, comorbidity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, and renal failure. Negative correlates of polypharmacy were smoking habit and alcohol consumption, and GDS > 6 was negatively associated with the use of analgesic (11.8% vs 15.6%, p = 0.012). In the subgroups with congestive heart failure and chronic renal failure, GDS > 6 was strictly associated with greater disease severity, but did not correlate with polypharmacy in multivariable models including indexes of disease severity.

Conclusions: Depressed mood is associated with polypharmacy in the broad elderly population. However, when indexes of disease severity were considered, the association was lost, indicating that depression is a marker of the burden of disease and does not increase drug consumption per se.

Citing Articles

Polypharmacy Prevalence Among Older Adults Based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe: An Update.

Bonanno E, Figueiredo T, Mimoso I, Morgado M, Carrilho J, Midao L J Clin Med. 2025; 14(4).

PMID: 40004860 PMC: 11856818. DOI: 10.3390/jcm14041330.

Polypharmacy and associated factors: a gender perspective in the elderly Spanish population (2011-2020).

Cebrino J, Portero de la Cruz S Front Pharmacol. 2023; 14:1189644.

PMID: 37153776 PMC: 10160439. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1189644.

Determinants and consequences of polypharmacy in patients with a depressive disorder in later life.

Wiersema C, Oude Voshaar R, van den Brink R, Wouters H, Verhaak P, Comijs H Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2022; 146(1):85-97.

PMID: 35435249 PMC: 9321061. DOI: 10.1111/acps.13435.

Factors associated with polypharmacy in primary care: a cross-sectional analysis of data from The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).

Slater N, White S, Venables R, Frisher M BMJ Open. 2018; 8(3):e020270.

PMID: 29540422 PMC: 5857661. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020270.

Psychotropic medication use among elderly nursing home residents in Slovenia: cross-sectional study.

Petek Ster M, Gorup E Croat Med J. 2011; 52(1):16-24.

PMID: 21328716 PMC: 3046495. DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2011.52.16.

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