{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Effects of multimorbidity and polypharmacy on physical function in community-dwelling older adults: A 3-year prospective cohort study from the SONIC.
{Author}: Yoshida Y;Ishizaki T;Masui Y;Miura Y;Matsumoto K;Nakagawa T;Inagaki H;Ito K;Arai Y;Kabayama M;Kamide K;Rakugi H;Ikebe K;Gondo Y;
{Journal}: Arch Gerontol Geriatr
{Volume}: 126
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Jun 5
{Factor}: 4.163
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.archger.2024.105521
{Abstract}: <B>BACKGROUND: </B>We prospectively examined the effect of baseline multimorbidity and polypharmacy on the physical function of community-dwelling older adults over a three-year period.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>The analysis included 1,401 older adults (51.5 % women) who participated in both wave 1 and wave 2 (3-year follow-up) of the Septuagenarians, Octogenarians, and Nonagenarians Investigation with Centenarians (SONIC) study. Grip strength and walking speed were binarized into poor/not poor physical function according to the frailty definition. The number of chronic conditions and the number of prescribed medications were categorized into 3 and 4 groups, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations between the number of chronic conditions, medication use at baseline, and poor physical function over a three-year period.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>After adjusting for confounding factors, hyperpolypharmacy (≥ 10 medications) demonstrated associations with weak grip strength (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.142, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.100-4.171) and slow walking speed (aOR = 1.878, 95 % CI = 1.013-3.483), while co-medication (1-4 medications) was negatively associated with slow walking speed (aOR = 0.688, 95 % CI = 0.480-0.986). There was no significant association between the number of chronic conditions and physical function.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>The findings suggest that the number of medications can serve as a simple indicator to assess the risk of physical frailty. Given that many older individuals receive multiple medications for extended durations, medical management approaches must consider not only disease-specific treatment outcomes but also prioritize drug therapy while actively avoiding the progression towards frailty and geriatric syndromes.