Among the geriatric population with comorbidity, the growing rate of polypharmacy is linked with a rise in healthcare services use (HSU), according to a study published in BMC Primary Care. Georges Assaf, MD, and colleagues examined the effect of different drug classes of polypharmacy on HSU, including antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and psychotropic polypharmacy. They conducted a retrospective cohort study consisting of 496 patients with comorbidity (77.2% with severe comorbidity). Severe comorbidity was observed more frequently in patients with polypharmacy compared with patients with no polypharmacy (72.3% vs 27.7%; P=0.001). ED visits for all causes were more common in patients with polypharmacy compared with patients without polypharmacy (40.6% vs 31.4%; P=0.05). Hospitalization for pneumonia was more frequent in patients with psychotropic polypharmacy (crude OR [cOR], 2.37; 95% CI, 1.03-5.46, P=0.043), as were ED visits for pneumonia (cOR 2.31; 95% CI, 1.00- 5.31; P=0.049).
