Drug Burden Index Score and Functional Decline in Older People

A drug burden index to define the functional burden of medications in older people.

BACKGROUND Older people carry a high burden of illness for which medications are indicated, along with increased risk of adverse drug reactions. We developed an index to determine drug burden based on pharmacologic principles. We evaluated the relationship of this index to physical and cognitive performance apart from disease indication. METHODS Data from the Health, Aging, and Body Compositi...

Associations between drug burden index and physical function in older people in residential aged care facilities.

Drug Burden Index in older adults: theoretical and practical issues

Anticholinergic and sedative medications are commonly used in older adults and are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The Drug Burden Index was developed to measure the cumulative exposure to these medications in older adults and its impact on physical and cognitive function. This narrative review discusses the research and clinical applications of the Drug Burden Index, and its advanta...

Drug Prescription Patterns in Older People Residential Homes

Objectives: Compared to other age groups, older people, especially frail older people residing in nursing homes use medications more due to the higher prevalence of chronic diseases. This study aimed to investigate prescription patterns for older people in nursing homes of Tehran in 2011. Methods & Materials: In this cross-sectional study, the data of 170 older people, sampled random cluster...

Functional decline in older adults.

Functional disability is common in older adults. It is often episodic and is associated with a high risk of subsequent health decline. The severity of disability is determined by physical impairments caused by underlying medical conditions, and by external factors such as social support, financial support, and the environment. When multiple health conditions are present, they often result in gr...