Polypharmacy, socioeconomic indicators and number of diseases: results from ELSA-Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of polypharmacy, describe the pharmacotherapeutic classes used, and investigate whether polypharmacy is associated with demographic and socioeconomic indicators, regardless of the number of diseases, among participants in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) baseline (2008-2010). METHOD: In this analysis, 14,523 adults and elderly (35-74 years) participated. Polypharmacy was characterized as regular use of five or more medicines. The demographic and socioeconomic indicators analyzed were: gender, age, education level, per capita family income, and access to private health insurance. The independent association between demographic and economic indicators and polypharmacy was estimated by binary logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of polypharmacy was 11.7%. The most used drugs were those with action on the cardiovascular system. After adjustments, including by number of diseases, the chances of being on polypharmacy treatment were significantly higher among women, older participants and those with greatest number of diseases. Individuals without health insurance had lower chance to be under polypharmacy, as well as those with lower income. CONCLUSION: The occurrence of polypharmacy among ELSA-Brasil baseline participants was mainly due to drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases. The relation between polypharmacy and the female gender, as well as its association with old age, are in consonance with the results obtained in other studies. Despite the absence of an association between polypharmacy and education level, the income and health insurance results reinforce the existence of social inequalities regarding drug use.

Relações sociais e autopercepção da saúde: projeto envelhecimento e saúde / Social relations and self- rated health: the ageing and health project

OBJETIVO: Investigar a associação entre as relações sociais e a autopercepção da saúde em idosos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de amostra representativa de idosos cobertos pelo Programa de Saúde da Família e residentes em uma área de alta vulnerabilidade para a saúde em Belo Horizonte, MG. As informações foram obtidas por meio de entrevista estruturada. Idosos que relataram autopercepção ruim ou muito ruim da saúde foram comparados aos demais e os fatores associados foram determinados por meio de regressão logística múltipla. RESULTADOS: 363 dos 371 idosos elegíveis participaram do estudo. A autopercepção ruim da saúde foi relatada por 17,1% dos idosos e foi positivamente associada com o número de doenças crônicas e o grau de dificuldade para realizar as atividades de vida diária, apresentando um gradiente dose resposta. Idosos com auto-avaliação negativa dos relacionamentos pessoais e que não podiam contar com alguém caso ficassem acamados tiveram mais chance de autoperceber sua saúde como ruim. Trabalhar foi associado negativamente com a autopercepção ruim da saúde. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados encontrados corroboram a estrutura multidimensional da autopercepção da saúde englobando fatores sociodemográficos, aspectos relacionados à saúde e às relações sociais e reforçam o papel dessas últimas sobre a saúde.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between social relationships and self-perceived health in the elderly. METHODS: cross-sectional study of a representative sample of elderly individuals covered by the Family Health Program and residents in an area of high health vulnerability in Belo Horizonte, MG. Information was obtained through structured interviews. Factors associated with poor or very poor self-perceived health were identified by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 363 out of 371 eligible elderly participated; 17.1% of elderly self-perceived their health as poor. There was a positive dose-response relationship between poor self-perceived health and the number of chronic diseases and the degree of difficulty to perform daily life activities. Elderly individuals who perceived their personal relationships as bad and who could not count on anyone if they became bedridden were more likely to self-rate their health as poor. Working was negatively associated with self-perceived poor health. CONCLUSION: The results confirm the multidimensional structure of self-perceived health including the issues related to health and social relationships. Our results strengthen the role of social relations on health.