Introduction:

patients aged 65 years or older are at increased risk for exposure to adverse drug reactions because of their physiological status. Some risks are associated with the anticholinergic burden of medication, and others with the safety profile of each drug.

Objective:

to perform an analysis of pharmacological treatments for patients aged 65 years old or older and their possible clinical implications, given the potential risks of adverse drug reactions.

Method:

a descriptive, cross-sectional, observational, naturalistic, observational study of the pharmacological treatment of users aged 65 years old or older of the outpatient service at Vilardebó Hospital, between May and August 2021, was performed. A calculation was made of the anticholinergic burden of treatments and a comparison of this burden was made with a sample of patients under 65 years of age.

Results:

356 patients (83.0%) ≥ 65 years old were at high risk of having some kind of effect from their anticholinergic burden and this risk was similar to patients younger than 65 years. A total of 344 patients were in treatment with a benzodiazepine. The prescription of flunitrazepam (47.6%) and clonazepam (32.6%) stood out. While 289 patients (67.4%) were in treatment with an antipsychotic, 9 patients were on more than 2 antipsychotics. Two patients were on imipramine and 49 patients were in treatment with some antiparkinsonian drugs.

Conclusions:

patients older than 65 years old are exposed to a high risk of suffering adverse drug reactions as a consequence of a high anticholinergic load (similar to that of the younger population studied) and a marked polypharmacy. In addition, some practices should be avoided, such as the prescription of certain types of benzodiazepines used in this population, as well as minimizing the use of imipramine and antiparkinsonian drugs. It is necessary to look for training strategies to minimize this potential risk that adversely affects the health of patients.

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