Queda entre idosos no Brasil e sua relação com o uso de medicamentos: revisão sistemática / Falls in elderly Brazilians and the relationship to medication: a systematic review
Falls in the elderly, often classified as accidental, are frequently related to medication, generally involving poor prognosis and thus becoming a public health issue. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify published Brazilian studies on medication as a risk factor for falls or fall-related fractures in the elderly. The search covered the LILACS, PubMed, and SciELO indexes using the descriptorsfalls, elderly, and pharmaceutical preparations/medications/medicines/drugs or specific drug classes. A total of 340 articles presented data on prevalence, incidence, and risk factors associated with medication and falls or fall-related fractures, but only 6 pharmacoepidemiological studies were examined because they were conducted specifically in Brazilian samples. The main drug classes associated with increased risk of fallsantidepressants, sedatives, anxiolytics, and diuretics. The promotion of rational drug use in geriatrics requires well-designed studies to produce robust scientific data.