Prevalence and influencing factors of polypharmacy among persons aged 80 years or older

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence and main influencing factors of polypharmacy among retired cadres aged ≥80 years.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in all retired officers living in sanatoriums in Beijing between May 2012 and December 2014 and the complete data on those aged 80 years and older were analyzed.ResultsA total of 5 530 older elderly with a mean age of 87.1±3.9 years were included in the study.Among the participants,the prevalence rate of current smoking,current alcohol drinking,and regular physical exercise were 2.7%,9.7%,and 80.7%,respectively.The prevalence rate of polypharmacy was as high as 76.1%,with a significant increasing trend (P_trend<0.001) as the increment of age among the participants,and the prevalence rate of the male participants was higher than that of the females (P<0.001).Age and current smoking were risk factors of polypharmacy and suffering one more chronic disease were correlated with an increased polypharmacy risk of 1.30 times (95% confidence interval:1.26-1.34);whereas,regular physical exercise was a protective factor for polypharmacy.ConclusionThe prevalence of polypharmacy was high and influenced mainly by living style and conditions of suffering from chronic diseases among retired officers aged 80 years and above.