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Revista Cubana de Medicina General Integral

Print version ISSN 0864-2125

Abstract

GARCIA ORIHUELA, Marlene; SUAREZ MARTINEZ, René  and  SANCHEZ MOMBLANC, María Eugenia. Comorbidity, functional state and drug therapy in geriatric patients. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.4, pp.649-657. ISSN 0864-2125.

Introduction: population aging represents a challenge for all the societies, hence it is necessary that the human resources devoted to take care of aged persons be well documented for the adequate drug and therapeutic management of this particular population, which is highly vulnerable due to its comorbidity and its particular drug response. Objective: to determine the interrelation between comorbidity, functional state and drug consumption. Method: a cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out, which included all 60 and over years-old patients, admitted to "Calixto García" hospital in 2007. The response variables were comorbidity, functional deterioration and multiple drug consumption. Data was collected on a random sample of 267 patients. An automatically-validated database was created to confirm congruency. Results: the greatest use of drugs was found in the 80 to 89 years old age group. It was found that 263 older people (98.5 %) suffered comorbidity and 211 of them (79 %) took 5 drugs as an average. The oldest persons accounted for the worst functional state evaluation, the highest index of comorbidity and the greatest use of drugs. Conclusions: both comorbidity and functional deterioration are closely related to drug consumption in the older people, all of which has a negative impact on their health state. It is indispensable that the primary health professionals pay special attention to the drug and therapeutic management of the older adults under their care.

Keywords : old people; comorbidity; functional state; drug consumption.

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