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

• Published in: Journal of Oral Science 2020, Vol.62(2), pp.239-241
• Main Authors: Matsumura, Erika, Nohara, Kanji, Tanaka, Nobukazu, Fujii, Nami, Sakai, Takayoshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adverse events related to drugs; Aged; aspiration; Deglutition Disorders; Dentistry; dysphagia; Humans; Nursing Homes; Polypharmacy; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1343-4934; 1880-4926
• DOI: 10.2334/josnusd.19-0370

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.