A survey on medications received by elderly persons with dysphagia living at home or in a nursing home.

ABSTRACT

Polypharmacy in elderly persons living at home or in a nursing home is an issue. In the field of dentistry, strategies to reduce polypharmacy must be promoted; however, there is insufficient basic data on medications received by elderly persons with dysphagia living at home or in a nursing home. The subjects were 106 elderly persons with dysphagia living at home or in a nursing home. Based on their medical records, the presence of disease and number/type of drugs being administered were investigated. Stroke, dementia, and hypertension were common. The mean number of drugs per person was 6.3 (minimum 0, maximum 15). Drugs for digestive ulcers were the most frequently prescribed medication, followed by hypotensive drugs, anti-parkinsonism drugs, and other central nervous drugs. Fifty-nine patients (52.8%) had taken drugs that may cause dysphagia, and 19 (17.9%) had taken drugs that may cause aspiration. Of the subjects, 68.9% had taken ≥5 drugs, demonstrating polypharmacy in elderly persons with dysphagia living at home or in a nursing home. Many drugs that may cause dysphagia or aspiration had been prescribed, suggesting the importance of dentists' reducing polypharmacy from the viewpoint of swallowing.