US & Oz polypharmacy
November 10, 2015
The American trend toward
more polypharmacy over the past
10 years as revealed in a study
published in JAMA, is replicated in
Australia, according to an article in
MJAInsight.
The US National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey
interviewed almost 38,000
individuals between 1999 and 2012
about their prescription medicines.
The findings demonstrated the
proportion of patients taking five or
more prescription medicines almost
doubled over the period, from 8.2%
to 15%, but most were analysed as
appropriate and “largely positive”.
Predictably, cardiovascular
therapies, antidiabetic drugs,
antidepressants and proton pump
inhibitors were among the most
used by patients in both countries.
See www.mja.com.au.
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