Medication in the elderly – data from the Vogel study Würzburg

Introduction The proportion of seniors (> 65 years old) in the population is rising steadily and will be 51% in 2060 (2013: 38%). Seniors often have several diseases, including chronic diseases, which means that in this age group the number of people taking medication in general, including psychoactive medication, is considerable. There are hardly any reliable statistics on this topic. Substance-related disorders in older age, as well as drug dependence, are rarely diagnosed and their extent is often underestimated; the number of representative studies on this topic is small.

Methods The Vogel study is a prospective long-term cohort study over 10 years to investigate the predictive validity of new electrophysiological methods in the early diagnosis of Alzheimerʼs dementia. Since 2011, 604 randomly selected residents of Würzburg, aged between 70 and 77 years, are thoroughly examined in 3-year intervals; data on medication and lifestyle habits are also collected.

Results Of 603 participants, 530 (87.9%) took drugs at the time of the first cross-sectional survey. Most frequently, blood pressure medication was taken. 399 of 604 participants (66.1%) took between one and five antihypertensives. 56 of 604 participants (9.3%) regularly took 1 – 4 medications against pain. The use of analgetics decreased with age (r = − 0.09, p = 0.033) and was higher in women than in men (T=− 2.8, p = 0.005). Participants with a history of depression were more likely to take pain medication (X² = 14.26, p = 0.007). The number of drugs in general correlated weakly with the score of the anxiety sensitivity inventory (ASI; r = 0.15, p = 0.01). Out of 603 responses of participants at the time of the initial study, only 6 (< 1%) stated that, in their own estimation, they had at some point in their lives taken more medication than prescribed by a doctor.

Conclusion Medication in old age is a relevant factor. The effect of current medication on the development of cognitive abilities in old age can only be shown after the completion of the long-term study.