Joint Study by Health and Medical Research Institute and Two Hospitals
Inappropriate Drugs Increase Risk of Death and Disability Rates
More than half of the 66-year-old population in South Korea, who have just entered the elderly age group, are taking an average of more than two inappropriate medications per person for elderly patients. Elderly inappropriate medications increase the risk of death and disability, so special caution is required when using them.
On the 27th, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, together with Bundang Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul Asan Medical Center, announced the results of a study on medication use among approximately 3.3 million young elderly individuals who underwent the 66-year-old life transition health checkup over 10 years from 2012 to 2021.
According to the institute, in 2021, 35.4% (about 160,000 people) of 66-year-olds took five or more medications for more than 90 days a year. The rate of taking 10 or more medications simultaneously also reached 8.8%. The study found that more than half of the 66-year-old population, 53.7%, were taking an average of 2.4 elderly inappropriate medications per person. Elderly inappropriate medications refer to drugs whose clinical risks outweigh the benefits when used in elderly patients.
The number of 66-year-olds taking five or more medications doubled from 80,000 in 2012 to 160,000 in 2021. Additionally, the number of people taking inappropriate medications increased by 79.7%, from about 138,000 to 248,000 during the same period.
In fact, among the subjects surveyed, a follow-up observation over five years of about 650,000 66-year-old adults who underwent health checkups in 2015-2016 showed that elderly patients using inappropriate medications had a 25% higher risk of death compared to those who did not, and the likelihood of developing a grade 3 or higher long-term care level disability (requiring assistance from others in daily life) was also 46% higher.
The risk of disability increased as the number of inappropriate medications increased. When using 1-2 types of elderly inappropriate medications, the risk of receiving a grade 3 or higher long-term care level increased by 31%, but when using three or more types, it increased by as much as 81%.
Professor Kim Seon-wook of Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, co-research director, said, "Not only elderly people in their 70s and 80s but also a significant number of 66-year-old adults who have just entered old age were using multiple medications and elderly inappropriate medications," and emphasized, "To ensure safe medication use, it is necessary to understand the prescribing and usage trends of medications in the elderly and for the medical community and government to make multifaceted efforts to reduce medication use."
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