(ANSA) - ROME, OCTOBER 21 - Medical advances are not recorded only on the basis of the number of pills prescribed.
Sometimes, for the sake of the patient, it is necessary to backtrack from the over-prescription of drug therapies, reducing the 'polypharmacy', which means taking more than 5-6 medicines a day, a common condition in at least two thirds of the elderly.
It is the phenomenon of 'Deprescribing' (the 'de-prescribe').
It is discussed at the national congress of the Italian Society of Internal Medicine Simi and the experts urge an urgent reflection on the phenomenon.
The lengthening of life, Simi notes, brings with it various consequences, such as the appearance of chronic pathologies, which are often associated in the same patient.
Having a central 'direction', such as that offered by the internist, protects patients from the risks of a too crowded 'polypharmacy', due to the 'collection' of many different drug prescriptions, one for each consulted specialist, often conflicting with each other. enough to cause interactions and undesirable effects that can jeopardize the safety of the patient.
"Some studies - remembers Giorgio Sesti, president of Simi - have clearly highlighted the phenomenon of polypharmacy and secondary falls. At risk of undesirable effects are above all people with reduced kidney function, a condition common among the elderly".
A study conducted on over 5,000 patients over 65 of the REPOSI registry showed that at least half showed moderate impairment, 14% severe functional impairment and finally 3% very severe.
Among patients with hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, and compensation, 11% were prescribed a dosage of medication that was inappropriate for renal function.
And in the follow-up, prescribing inappropriateness was associated with a 50% increased risk of all-cause mortality.
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De-prescribing pharmacological molecules is an activity that the internist must do in all patients, but especially in the elderly ". (ANSA).