Search

Multimorbidity is challenging for both patients and healthcare systems due to its increasing prevalence and high impact on people’s health and well-being. The risk of multimorbidity increases with age, but there is still more to discover regarding the clinical profile of the oldest old. In this study, we used information from the EpiChron Cohort Study to identify multimorbidity patterns in individuals who died during the period 2010–2019 at the ages of 80–89, 90–99, and ≥100. This cohort links the demographic, clinical, and drug dispensation information of public health system users in Aragón, Spain. We saw a significantly lower number of chronic diseases and drugs and a lower prevalence of polypharmacy in centenarians compared to those aged 80–99. K-means clustering revealed different multimorbidity clusters by sex and age group. We observed clusters of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, obstructive pulmonary conditions, and neoplasms, amongst other profiles. One in three octogenarian women had a metabolic pattern (diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and other endocrine–metabolic disorders) with the highest number of diseases (up to seven) and prevalence of polypharmacy (64%). We observed clusters of dementia and genitourinary disorders in individuals on medication with anticholinergic activity. Our study offers an opportunity to better understand the urgency of adequately addressing multimorbidity in our older adults.

Quality pharmacological treatment can improve survival in many types of cancer. Drug repurposing offers advantages in comparison with traditional drug development procedures, reducing time and risk. This systematic review identified the most recent randomized controlled clinical trials that focus on drug repurposing in oncology. We found that only a few clinical trials were placebo-controlled or standard-of-care-alone-controlled. Metformin has been studied for potential use in various types of cancer, including prostate, lung, and pancreatic cancer. Other studies assessed the possible use of the antiparasitic agent mebendazole in colorectal cancer and of propranolol in multiple myeloma or, when combined with etodolac, in breast cancer. We were able to identify trials that study the potential use of known antineoplastics in other non-oncological conditions, such as imatinib for severe coronavirus disease in 2019 or a study protocol aiming to assess the possible repurposing of leuprolide for Alzheimer’s disease. Major limitations of these clinical trials were the small sample size, the high clinical heterogeneity of the participants regarding the stage of the neoplastic disease, and the lack of accounting for multimorbidity and other baseline clinical characteristics. Drug repurposing possibilities in oncology must be carefully examined with well-designed trials, considering factors that could influence prognosis.

PURPOSE To analyze the evolution of the prevalence of polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in a Spanish population, and to improve the identification of patients with polypharmacy. METHODS A descriptive, annual cross-sectional observational study was carried out. PATIENTS individuals over 14 years of age included in a multiregional primary care database of the Spanish population (BIFAP). ANALYSIS prescription data. Period 2005-2015. VARIABLES proportion of patients with polypharmacy (simultaneous prescription of ≥5 drugs) and excessive polypharmacy (≥10 drugs) for at least 6 months, according to sex and age groups. A trend analysis of the studied period was performed (overall, and by sex and age groups). RESULTS The data are reported on a comparative basis (2005 vs 2015). Number of patients analyzed: 2664743 vs 4 002 877. The prevalence of polypharmacy increased significantly (2.5% vs 8.9%, P-value for trend

A major risk factor of COVID-19 severity is the patient's health status at the time of the infection. Numerous studies focused on specific chronic diseases and identified conditions, mainly cardiovascular ones, associated with poor prognosis. However, chronic diseases tend to cluster into patterns, each with its particular repercussions on the clinical outcome of infected patients. Network analysis in our population revealed that not all cardiovascular patterns have the same risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or mortality and that this risk depends on the pattern of multimorbidity, besides age and sex. We evidenced that negative outcomes were strongly related to patterns in which diabetes and obesity stood out in older women and men, respectively. In younger adults, anxiety was another disease that increased the risk of severity, most notably when combined with menstrual disorders in women or atopic dermatitis in men. These results have relevant implications for organizational, preventive, and clinical actions to help meet the needs of COVID-19 patients.

This study aims to identify baseline medications that, as a proxy for the diseases they are dispensed for, are associated with increased risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients from two regions in Spain and Italy using real-world data. We conducted a cross-country, retrospective, observational study including 8570 individuals from both regions with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between 4 March and 17 April 2020, and followed them for a minimum of 30 days to allow sufficient time for the studied event, in this case death, to occur. Baseline demographic variables and all drugs dispensed in community pharmacies three months prior to infection were extracted from the PRECOVID Study cohort (Aragon, Spain) and the Campania Region Database (Campania, Italy) and analyzed using logistic regression models. Results show that the presence at baseline of potassium-sparing agents, antipsychotics, vasodilators, high-ceiling diuretics, antithrombotic agents, vitamin B12, folic acid, and antiepileptics were systematically associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients from both countries. Treatments for chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, systemic inflammation, and processes with increased risk of thrombosis as proxies for the conditions they are intended for can serve as timely indicators of an increased likelihood of mortality after the infection, and the assessment of pharmacological profiles can be an additional approach to the identification of at-risk individuals in clinical practice.

Background and objective Sub-optimal adherence to treatment in the general population has been highlighted in several studies, especially in the elderly and/or chronic patients. This study aims to describe the adherence to treatment of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia and hypertension, and to identify the factors that influence adherence. Material and method Retrospective, cross-sectional observational study on 16,208 patients aged ≥65 years from the EpiChron Cohort who initiated monotherapy treatment of an antidiabetic, a lipid-lowering or an antihypertensive medication in 2010. Adherence was measured by calculating the medication possession ratio during one year, considering those cases with medication possession ratio ≥80% to be adherent. We performed a descriptive study, and a logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of low adherence. Results Adherence to antidiabetics, antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs was 72.4%, 50.7% and 44.3%, respectively. An increase in adherence of 3–8% was observed for each additional chronic disease suffered by the patient. The presence of mental illness did not affect adherence, and sex, age and number of prescribed drugs did not present consistent effects. Conclusion The results obtained show a sub-optimal adherence to treatment for the 3 chronic diseases studied. Adherence increased with the number of chronic diseases, while sex, age and number of drugs did not show a consistent effect. It is necessary to investigate if there are other factors that may influence therapeutic adherence, since improving adherence may have a greater impact on health than any progress in therapies.

We aimed to identify and compare medication profiles in populations with polypharmacy between 2005 and 2015. We conducted a cross-sectional study using information from the Computerized Database for Pharmacoepidemiologic Studies in Primary Care (BIFAP, Spain). We estimated the prevalence of therapeutic subgroups in all individuals 15 years of age and older with polypharmacy (≥5 drugs during ≥6 months) using the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system level 4, by sex and age group, for both calendar years. The most prescribed drugs were proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), statins, antiplatelet agents, benzodiazepine derivatives, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The greatest increases between 2005 and 2015 were observed in PPIs, statins, other antidepressants, and β-blockers, while the prevalence of antiepileptics was almost tripled. We observed increases in psychotropic drugs in women and cardiovascular medications in men. By patient´s age groups, there were notable increases in antipsychotics, antidepressants, and antiepileptics (15–44 years), antidepressants, PPIs, and selective β-blockers (45–64 years), selective β-blockers, biguanides, PPIs, and statins (65–79 years), and in statins, selective β-blockers, and PPIs (80 years and older). Our results revealed important increases in the use of specific therapeutic subgroups, like PPIs, statins, and psychotropic drugs, highlighting opportunities to design and implement strategies to analyze such prescriptions’ appropriateness.

The pressing problem of multimorbidity and polypharmacy is aggravated by the lack of specific care models for this population. We aimed to investigate the evolution of multimorbidity and polypharmacy patterns in a given population over a 4-year period (2011–2015). A cross-sectional, observational study among the EpiChron Cohort, including anonymized demographic, clinical and drug dispensation information of all users of the public health system ≥65 years in Aragon (Spain), was performed. An exploratory factor analysis, stratified by age and sex, using an open cohort was carried out based on the tetra-choric correlations among chronic diseases and dispensed drugs during 2011 and compared with 2015. Seven baseline patterns were identified during 2011 named as: mental health, respiratory, allergic, mechanical pain, cardiometabolic, osteometabolic, and allergic/derma. Of the epidemiological patterns identified in 2015, six were already present in 2011 but a new allergic/derma one appeared. Patterns identified in 2011 were more complex in terms of both disease and drugs. Results confirmed the existing association between age and clinical complexity. The systematic associations between diseases and drugs remain similar regarding their clinical nature over time, helping in early identification of potential interactions in multimorbid patients with a high risk of negative health outcomes due to polypharmacy.

We aimed to analyze baseline socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with an increased likelihood of mortality in men and women with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We conducted a retrospective cohort study (PRECOVID Study) on all 4412 individuals with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in Aragon, Spain, and followed them for at least 30 days from cohort entry. We described the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of all patients of the cohort. Age-adjusted logistic regressions models were performed to analyze the likelihood of mortality based on demographic and clinical variables. All analyses were stratified by sex. Old age, specific diseases such as diabetes, acute myocardial infarction, or congestive heart failure, and dispensation of drugs like vasodilators, antipsychotics, and potassium-sparing agents were associated with an increased likelihood of mortality. Our findings suggest that specific comorbidities, mainly of cardiovascular nature, and medications at the time of infection could explain around one quarter of the mortality in COVID-19 disease, and that women and men probably share similar but not identical risk factors. Nonetheless, the great part of mortality seems to be explained by other patient- and/or health-system-related factors. More research is needed in this field to provide the necessary evidence for the development of early identification strategies for patients at higher risk of adverse outcomes.

BackgroundThe steady rise in multimorbidity entails serious consequences for our populations, challenges healthcare systems, and calls for specific clinical approaches of proven effectiveness. The MULTIPAP Study comprises three sequential projects (MULTIPAP and MULTIPAP Plus RCTs, and the MULTIPAP Cohort). Results of MULTIPAP RCT are presented.AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of a complex, patient-centred intervention in young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy.MethodPragmatic cluster-randomised clinical trial in a primary healthcare setting. GPs were randomly allocated to either conventional care or the MULTIPAP intervention based on the Ariadne Principles with two components: GPs e-training (that is, eMULTIPAP addresses specific, key concepts on multimorbidity, polypharmacy and shared decision-making) and GP–patient-centred interview. Young-old patients aged 65–74 years with multimorbidity and polypharmacy were included. Main outcome: difference in the Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) after 6-month follow-up between groups. Secondary outcomes: MAI, quality of life, patient perception, health services use, treatment adherence and cost-effectiveness after 12-month follow-up.Results117 GPs from 38 Spanish primary health care recruited 593 patients randomly assigned to the intervention/control groups. Difference in MAI scores between groups in the intention-to-treat analysis after 6 months’ follow-up: −2.42 (−4.27 to −0.59), P = 0.009 (adjusted difference in mean MAI score −1.81(−3.35 to −0.27), P = 0.021). Secondary outcomes: not significant, including quality of life (adjusted difference in mean EQ-5D-5L (VAS) 2.94 (−1.39 to 7.28), P = 0.183, EQ-5D-5L (index) −0.006(−0.034 to 0.022), P = 0.689).ConclusionThe intervention significantly improved medication appropriateness. The observed quality of life improvement was not significant. GPs e-training in multimorbidity has shown to be feasible and well accepted by the professionals. Future studies may test whether this format facilitates implementation.

This study aims to describe the clinical course, drug use, and health services use characteristics during the last year of life of elders who die being centenarians and to identify key aspects differentiating them from elders who die at an earlier age, with a particular focus on sex differences. We conducted an observational, population-based study in the EpiChron Cohort (Arag&oacute, n, Spain). The population was stratified by sex and into three age sub-populations (80&ndash, 89, 90&ndash, 99, and &ge, 100 years), and their characteristics were described and compared. Multimorbidity was the rule in our elders, affecting up to 3 in 4 centenarians and 9 in 10 octogenarians and nonagenarians. Polypharmacy was also observed in half of the centenarian population and in most of the younger elders. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease (i.e., hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes), cerebrovascular disease and dementia were amongst the most common chronic conditions in all age groups, whereas the gastroprotective drugs and antithrombotic agents were the most dispensed drugs. Centenarians presented in general lower morbidity and treatment burden and lower use of both primary and hospital healthcare services than octogenarians and nonagenarians, suggesting a better health status. Sex-differences in their clinical characteristics were more striking in octogenarians and tended to decrease with age.

The World Health Organization considers the non-adherence to medication a significant issue with global impact, especially in chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. We aim to study antidiabetic treatment initiation, add-on, treatment switching, and medication persistence. We conducted an observational study on 4247 individuals initiating antidiabetic treatment between 2013 and 2014 in the EpiChron Cohort (Spain). We used Cox regression models to estimate the likelihood of non-persistence after a one-year follow-up, expressed as hazard ratios (HRs). Metformin was the most frequently used first-line antidiabetic (80% of cases), combination treatment was the second most common treatment in adults aged 40&ndash, 79 years, while dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors were the second most common in individuals in their 80s and over, and in patients with renal disease. Individuals initiated on metformin were less likely to present addition and switching events compared with any other antidiabetic. Almost 70% of individuals initiated on monotherapy were persistent. Subjects aged 40 and over (HR 0.53&ndash, 0.63), living in rural (HR 0.79) or more deprived areas (HR 0.77&ndash, 0.82), or receiving polypharmacy (HR 0.84), were less likely to show discontinuation. Our findings could help identify the population at risk of discontinuation, and offer them closer monitoring for proper integrated management to improve prognosis and health outcomes.

Resumen: La creciente longevidad de la población, el aumento de la morbilidad y del consumo de medicamentos han provocado que la polimedicación sea un problema de salud prioritario por sus consecuencias en el incremento de efectos adversos, interacciones farmacológicas y favorecer el deterioro funcional del paciente.La situación clínica de los pacientes cambia a lo largo del tiempo y es preciso ajustar la medicación en cada etapa, valorando la fragilidad, el nivel de dependencia y el deterioro funcional.La labor de deprescribir es compleja y requiere una adecuada formación clínica y farmacológica. En atención primaria reside el mayor conocimiento del paciente y su entorno, y de forma compartida con el paciente y cuidadores se debe valorar qué medicamentos mantener y cuáles retirar desde una perspectiva clínica, ética y social.Existen herramientas de ayuda a la deprescripción que pueden resultar útiles para el médico de familia para facilitar este proceso y que se detallan en este artículo. Abstract: The increasing longevity of the population, the increase in morbidity and the consumption of medications have caused that polypharmacy is a priority health problem due to its consequences: increase of adverse effects, pharmacological interactions and favor the functional deterioration of the patient.The clinical situation of the patients changes over time and it is necessary to adjust the medication in each stage, assessing the fragility, the level of dependence and the functional deterioration.Deprescription is complex and requires an adequate clinical and pharmacological formation. In Primary Care lies the greater knowledge of the patient and their environment, and in a shared way with the patient and caregivers, it is necessary to assess which drugs to maintain and which ones to withdraw from a clinical, ethical and social perspective.There are tools to help deprescription that can be useful for Primary Care to facilitate this process and that are detailed in this article. Palabras clave: Polimedicación/polifarmacia, Prescripción inapropiada, Anciano frágil, Deprescripción, Terapia médica, Keywords: Polypharmacy, Inappropriate prescribing, Frail elderly, Deprescription, Drug therapy

Enrica Menditto,1,* Caitriona Cahir,2,* Mercedes Aza-Pascual-Salcedo,3,4 Dario Bruzzese,5 Beatriz Poblador-Plou,3 Sara Malo,6 Elisio Costa,7 Francisca González-Rubio,3,4,6 Antonio Gimeno-Miguel,3 Valentina Orlando,1 Przemyslaw Kardas,8 Alexandra Prados-Torres3 1CIRFF, Center of Pharmacoeconomics, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy; 2Division of Population Health Sciences, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; 3Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, REDISSEC ISCIII, Madrid, Spain; 4Aragon Health Service (SALUD), Aragon, Spain; 5Department of Public Health, Federico II University, Naples, Italy; 6University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; 7UCIBIO, REQUINTE, Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto4ageing Reference Site, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 8Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland*These authors contributed equally to this workPurpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare medication adherence to chronic therapies in older populations across different regions in Europe.Methods: This explorative study applied a harmonized method of data extraction and analysis from pharmacy claims databases of three European countries to compare medication adherence at a cross-country level. Data were obtained for the period between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011. Patients (aged ≥65 years) who newly initiated to oral antidiabetics, antihyperlipidemics, or antiosteoporotics were identified and followed for over a 12-month period. Main outcome measures were medication adherence (medication possession ratio, [MPR]; implementation) and persistence on index treatment. All country-specific data sets were prepared by employing a common data input model. Outcome measures were calculated for each country and pooled using random effect models.Results: In total, 39,186 new users were analyzed. In pooled data from the three countries, suboptimal implementation (MPR 50% of older people non-adherent to antihyperlipidemics and antiosteoporotics in the three European cohorts. However, the degree of variability in adherence rates among the three countries was high. A harmonized method of data extraction and analysis across health-related database in Europe is useful to compare medication-taking behavior at a cross-country level. Keywords: drug utilization, medication adherence, medication persistence, prescribing

Purpose To describe the characteristics of new users of cilostazol in Europe with the aim to support the evaluation of its benefit/risk as used in regular clinical practice before the implementation of labeling changes recommended by the European Medicines Agency. Methods New users of cilostazol were identified in populations enrolled in five European health automated databases in the UK (The Health Improvement Network [THIN]), Spain (EpiChron cohort and Information System for the Improvement of Research in Primary Care [SIDIAP]), Sweden (National Registers), and Germany (German Pharmacoepidemiological Research Database [GePaRD]) between 2002 and 2012. New users were characterized according to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and other comorbidities, concurrent use of interacting medications, new contraindications, duration of use, and potential off-label prescribing. Results We identified 22 593 new users of cilostazol. The median age was between 68.0 (THIN) and 73.7 (Sweden) years. More than 78% of users had concomitant cardiovascular disease, and between 78.8% (GePaRD) and 91.6% (THIN) were treated with interacting medications. Prevalence of new cardiovascular contraindications ranged from 1.5% (THIN) to 11.6% (GePaRD), and concurrent use of two or more antiplatelet drugs ranged from 6.3% (SIDIAP) to 13.5% (EpiChron cohort). Between 39.4% (Sweden) and 52.9% (THIN) of users discontinued cilostazol in the first 3 months. Between 41.0% (SIDIAP) and 93.4% (THIN) were considered to have received cilostazol according to the European Medicines Agency labeling. Conclusions In this collaborative European study, most cilostazol users were elderly patients with a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and other comorbidity and concurrent use of interacting drugs, indicating that this is a vulnerable population at high risk of complications, especially cardiovascular events. © 2017 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Background: The steady increase in type 2 diabetes prevalence and the availability of new antidiabetic drugs (AD) have risen the use of these drugs with a change in the patterns of specific drug utilization. The complexity of this treatment is due to successive treatment initiation, switching and addition in order to maintain glycaemic control. The purpose of this study was to describe the utilization patterns of ADs at initiation, treatment addition and switching profiles and to measure factors influencing persistence to therapy. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Data were retrieved from the Campania Regional Database for Medication Consumption. Population was composed by patients receiving at least one prescription of ADs between January 1 and December 31, 2016. We calculated time to treatment switching or add-on as median number of days and interquartile range (IQR). Persistence rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. We used Cox regression models to estimate the likelihood of non-persistence over one year of follow-up. Hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results: Of 14,679 subjects, 86.9% started with monotherapy and 13.1% with combination therapy. Most common initial treatment was metformin, both in monotherapy and combination therapy. First-line prescription of sulfonylurea was observed in 6.9% of patients aged 60-79 years and in 10.8% of patients aged ≥80 years. Patients starting with metformin showed fewer treatment modifications (10.4%) compared to patients initiating with sulfonylureas (35.2%). Newer ADs were utilized during treatment progression. Subjects initiated with sulfonylurea were approximately 70% more likely to discontinue treatment compared to those initiated on metformin. Oldest age group (≥80years) was more likely to be non-persistent and likelihood of non-persistence was highest in polymedicated patients. Patients changing therapy were more likely to be persistent. Conclusions: Our results show that treatment of T2D in Italy is consistent with clinical guidelines. Even if newer ADs were utilized during disease progression, they seem not to be preferred in patients with a higher comorbidity score although these patients could benefit from this kind of treatment. Our study highlights patients’ characteristics that may help identify those who would benefit from counselling from their health-care practitioner on better ADs usage.

Objectives: The objective was to identify the systematic associations among chronic diseases and drugs in the form of patterns and to describe and clinically interpret the constituted patterns with a focus on exploring the existence of potential drug-drug and drug-disease interactions and prescribing cascades. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study used the demographic and clinical information from electronic medical databases and the pharmacy billing records of all users of the public health system of the Spanish region of Aragon in 2015. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted based on the tetra-choric correlations among the diagnoses of chronic diseases and the dispensed drugs in 887, 572 patients aged 65 years. The analysis was stratified by age and sex. To name the constituted patterns, assess their clinical nature, and identify potential interactions among diseases and drugs, the associations found in each pattern were independently reviewed by two pharmacists and two doctors and tested against the literature and the information reported in the technical medicinal forms. Results: Six multimorbidity-polypharmacy patterns were found in this large-scale population study, named as respiratory, mental health, cardiometabolic, endocrinological, osteometabolic, and mechanical-pain. The nature of the patterns in terms of diseases and drugs differed by sex and age and became more complex as age advanced. Conclusions: The six clinically sound multimorbidity-polypharmacy patterns described in this non-elderly population confirmed the existence of systematic associations among chronic diseases and medications, and revealed some unexpected associations suggesting the prescribing cascade phenomenon as a potential underlying factor. These findings may help to broaden the focus and orient the early identification of potential interactions when caring for multimorbid patients at high risk of adverse health outcomes due to polypharmacy.

The correct management of patients with multimorbidity remains one of the main challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. In this study, we analyze the existence of multimorbidity patterns in the general population based on gender and age. We conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals of all ages from the EpiChron Cohort, Spain (1,253,292 subjects), and analyzed the presence of systematic associations among chronic disease diagnoses using exploratory factor analysis. We identified and clinically described a total of 14 different multimorbidity patterns (12 in women and 12 in men), with some relevant differences in the functions of age and gender. The number and complexity of the patterns was shown to increase with age in both genders. We identified associations of circulatory diseases with respiratory disorders, chronic musculoskeletal diseases with depression and anxiety, and a very consistent pattern of conditions whose co-occurrence is known as metabolic syndrome (hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidaemia), among others. Our results demonstrate the potential of using real-world data to conduct large-scale epidemiological studies to assess the complex interactions among chronic conditions. This could be useful in designing clinical interventions for patients with multimorbidity, as well as recommendations for healthcare professionals on how to handle these types of patients in clinical practice.

Resumen La creciente longevidad de la población, el aumento de la morbilidad y del consumo de medicamentos han provocado que la polimedicación sea un problema de salud prioritario por sus consecuencias en el incremento de efectos adversos, interacciones farmacológicas y favorecer el deterioro funcional del paciente. La situación clínica de los pacientes cambia a lo largo del tiempo y es preciso ajustar la medicación en cada etapa, valorando la fragilidad, el nivel de dependencia y el deterioro funcional. La labor de deprescribir es compleja y requiere una adecuada formación clínica y farmacológica. En atención primaria reside el mayor conocimiento del paciente y su entorno, y de forma compartida con el paciente y cuidadores se debe valorar qué medicamentos mantener y cuáles retirar desde una perspectiva clínica, ética y social. Existen herramientas de ayuda a la deprescripción que pueden resultar útiles para el médico de familia para facilitar este proceso y que se detallan en este artículo.

Cilostazol; Intermittent claudication; Peripheral artery disease; Risk minimization Claudicació intermitent; Malaltia vascular perifèrica; Minimització del risc Claudicación intermitente; Enfermedad vascular periférica; Minimización del riesgo Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of risk minimization measures—labeling changes and communication to health care professionals—recommended by the European Medicines Agency for use of cilostazol for the treatment of intermittent claudication in Europe. Methods: Observational study of cilostazol in The Health Improvement Network (United Kingdom), EpiChron Cohort (Spain), SIDIAP (Spain), Swedish National Databases, and GePaRD (Germany). Among new users of cilostazol, we compared the prevalence of conditions targetedby the risk minimization measures in the periods before (2002‐2012) and after (2014) implementation. Conditions evaluated were prevalence of smoking, cardiovascular conditions, concurrent use of≥2 antiplatelet agents, concurrent use of potentCYP3A4/CYP2C19 inhibitors and high‐dose cilostazol, early monitoring of all users, and continuous monitoring of users at high cardiovascular risk. Results: We included 22593 and 1821 new users of cilostazol before and afterimplementation of risk minimization measures, respectively. After implementation, the frequency of several conditions related to the labeling changes improved in all the study populations: prevalence of use decreased between 13% (EpiChron) and 57% (SIDIAP), frequency of cardiovascular contraindications decreased between 8% (GePaRD) and 84% (EpiChron), and concurrent use of high‐dose cilostazol and potent CYP3A4/CYP2C19 inhibitors decreased between 6% (Sweden) and 100% (EpiChron).The frequency of other conditions improved in most study populations, except smoking, which decreased only in EpiChron (48% reduction). Conclusions: This study indicates that the risk minimization measures implemented by the EMA for the use of cilostazol have been effective in all European countries studied, except for smoking cessation before initiating cilostazol, which remains an area of improvement Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd.

Why was the cohort set up? Greater life expectancy in Europe over the past few decades has been translated into an increasing burden of chronic diseases that accumulate as the population ages, whereas acute infectious diseases have been progressively pushed into the background. The incidence of conditions such as hypertension, obesity and asthma has increased dramatically worldwide, and cancer, diabetes and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are responsible for almost 70% of global deaths. Concurrently, the prevalence of multimorbidity (as of people affected by more than one chronic disorder) is also increasing and appears as the most common chronic condition at present. Multimorbidity affects almost 3 in 4 individuals aged 65 years and older, although it represents a problem not only for the elderly but also for adult and even young populations, at whom prevention strategies should aim. People affected by multimorbidity often experience fragmentation of care, greater and inadequate use of health services and polypharmacy, which in turn may increase the risk of low adherence and adverse drug reactions. All of this leads to individuals’ quality of life deterioration and higher risk of mortality. Besides, handling patients with multimorbidity represents a daily challenge for physicians and health systems...

Adverse drug reactions (ADR) are one of the ten main causes of mortality in the world, as a cause of hospital admissions or prolongation hospitalizations days created an important health and economic impact. This study aimed to detect incidence and characterize ADRs that occurred during hospitalization and associated with admission in Internal Medicine service.Observational and prospective study of intensive RAM monitoring patients admitted in Internal Medicine services in a third level hospital over a twelve months period in 2014. The assessment consisted of a complete and protocol collecting information about the patients and related to suspected ADRs during hospitalization. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.20.0.The study included 253 patients and in 54 (21,34%) ADR were detected, the risk of experiencing an ADR was associated with the age (p=0.012). ADR-related hospitalizations incidence were 7,11%, and fatal ADR incidence were 1,97%. With regard to severity 81,2% were severe. Gastrointestinal disorders represented the most common ADRs followed by metabolism and nutrition disorders and vascular disorders. The drugs most frequently associated with ADRs were cardiovascular agents, antiinfective drugs and central nervous system agents. 72.2% of the patients who suffered ADR had polypharmacy.In our study incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients was 21,34%, this data and ADR´s related to admission to hospital or fatal ADR´s are mainly suffered by pluripathology and polymedicated elderly patients with worst renal function values. In these patients a more careful prescription should be made.Las reacciones adversas a medicamentos de uso humano (RAM) son una de las diez principales causas de mortalidad a nivel mundial, siendo las que causan ingreso o prolongan la estancia hospitalaria las de mayor impacto sanitario y económico. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron conocer la incidencia y las características de las RAM en pacientes hospitalizados en los servicios de Medicina Interna.Estudio observacional y prospectivo de monitorización intensiva de RAM de los pacientes ingresados en los servicios de Medicina Interna en un hospital de tercer nivel durante el año 2014. Se protocolizó la recogida de datos relativos al paciente así como las características de las RAM. El análisis estadístico se realizó con el software SPSS v.20.0.Se monitorizaron 253 pacientes. Se detectaron RAM en 54 pacientes (21,34%), encontrándose una asociación positiva entre la edad y la presencia de RAM (p=0.012). La incidencia de ingresos causados por una RAM fue de 7,11% y las RAM mortales fueron un 1,97%. Las RAM fueron graves en el 81,2% de los casos. Los órganos más afectados fueron el gastrointestinal, trastornos del metabolismo y de la nutrición y el vascular. Los grupos terapéuticos causantes de RAM más frecuentes fueron los agentes cardiovasculares, los antinfecciosos y los del sistema nervioso. El 72,2% de los pacientes que sufrieron RAM presentaban polimedicación.La incidencia de RAM en nuestro estudio se sitúa en el 21,34%. La carga de ingresos o de mortalidad derivados de una RAM la sufren, fundamentalmente, pacientes ancianos, pluripatológicos, polimedicados y con peores valores de función renal por lo que es en ellos en quien fundamentalmente se debería realizar una prescripción más cuidadosa.

Objective: To analyse the association between cardiovascular and mental comorbidities of obesity and weight loss registered in the electronic primary healthcare records. Design and setting: Longitudinal study of a cohort of adult patients assigned to any of the public primary care centres in Aragon, Spain, during 2010 and 2011. Participants: Adult obese patients for whom data on their weight were available for 2010 (n=62 901), and for both 2010 and 2011 (n=42 428). Outcomes: Weight loss (yes/no) was calculated based on the weight difference between the first value registered in 2010 and the last value registered in 2011. Multivariate logistic regression models were adjusted for individuals' age, sex, total number of chronic comorbidities, type of obesity and length of time between both weight measurements. Results: According to the recorded clinical information, 9 of 10 obese patients showed at least one chronic comorbidity. After adjusting for covariates, weight loss seemed to be more likely among obese patients with a diagnosis of diabetes and/or dementia and less likely among those with hypertension, anxiety and/or substance use problems (p

Purpose This study evaluated the magnitude of underreporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and investigated possible reporting patterns according to patient characteristics and the type of reaction based on the integration of information obtained from primary care electronic medical records (EMRs) and the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System. Methods This investigation was a descriptive retrospective study analysing ADRs recorded in 2005 in the EMRs from six health centers in Zaragoza (Aragon, Spain) with a covered population of 126,838 subjects. The associations between the probability of reporting and the reaction and drug type were studied using logistic regression models adjusted by age and sex. Results The total number of ADRs recorded in the EMRs was 543, of which 65.7% were reported to the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System. Positive associations were found between the probability of reporting an ADR and advanced age of patients (OR for ≥76 years = 2.0; 95%CI 1.1–3.6), involvement of the reproductive system (OR = 7.9; 95%CI 1.02–60.2) and involvement of psychiatric disorders (OR = 4.0; 95%CI 1.4–11.6). Negative associations were found between reporting an ADR and early age of patients (OR for 0–14 years = 0.2; 95%CI 0.1–0.6) and the use of antimicrobial drugs (OR = 0.6; 95%CI 0.4–0.9). Conclusions This study tackles an important public health problem directly related to patients' safety and highlights the utility of EMRs for investigating the current significance of ADR underreporting. It also makes us think that primary care physicians seem to have selective reporting patterns based on their familiarity with the reaction type and the drug causing the reaction as well as on the age of patients. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background Physical activity (PA) has been shown to improve the general health of patients with chronic diseases and to prevent the onset of such conditions. However, the association between multimorbidity and PA has not been investigated in detail, and recent studies of this topic yield dissenting results. The objective of this study was to examine whether PA levels were associated with multimorbidity, self-rated health and functional limitation. Methods This was a cross-sectional study based on data from the 2009 European Health Interview Survey for Spain. The sample population included 22,190 adults over 15 years of age. The independent variables were multimorbidity (measured as the number of chronic diseases), activity limitations, and self-rated health status. The dependent variable was PA level, measured as a) a continuous variable in metabolic equivalents (METs) and b) a dichotomous variable based on international recommendations (74 years), using multivariate linear and logistic regression models that were adjusted for age, educational level and employment status. Results An inverse association was found between PA and multimorbidity among older males and young females between 16–24 years. This negative association was also observed among males aged 25–44 years when analysing PA as a dichotomous variable. Self-rated health status was directly related to the achievement of minimum PA levels among middle-aged and older individuals, but the opposite happened among the youngest group of females. Significant associations between the existence of activity limitations and the performance of lower volumes of PA were consistently observed among subjects over 44 years. Conclusions There is an inverse association between multimorbidity and PA in the youngest and oldest age groups. In addition, both low self-rated health status and the presence of functional limitations were related to lower PA in most of the examined population groups. These features should be considered in the design and implementation of community-based approaches to promoting PA, if further corroborated in longitudinal studies.

In Table 10, some of the prevalence numbers are incorrect. The correct version of Table 10 can be viewed here