Background <p>Falls are a leading cause of hospitalisation among older adults, with substantial impacts on quality of life and healthcare costs. Fall-risk-increasing drugs represent an important risk factor.</p> Objective <p>This study aimed to evaluate the association between fall-risk-increasing drug use and the risk of fall-related hospitalisation.</p> Methods <p>A nested case-control study was conducted using administrative healthcare data from a sample of Italian community-dwelling older adults. Cases included individuals aged ≥65 years hospitalised for fall-related injuries in 2018, matched 1:1 by sex and age with controls who had no fall-related injuries. Fall-risk-increasing drug exposure was assessed by drug class, duration and recency of use. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were estimated using logistic regression, controlling for polypharmacy and comorbidities.</p> Results <p>Among 16,118 cases and 16,118 controls (68.77% female, mean age 79.76 years), cases showed a higher prevalence of polypharmacy (five to nine drugs: 42.03 vs 37.16%; ten or more drugs: 7.02 vs 5.44%; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001) and multimorbidity (three or more diseases: 6.42 vs 2.82%; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001). Fall-risk-increasing drug use was higher in cases (37.70 vs 26.49%, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.0001), with a 51% increased risk of fall-related hospitalisation (aOR 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44–1.59). Opioids (aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.31–1.50) and antidepressants (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.36–1.54) were associated with the highest risk. Prolonged fall-risk-increasing drug exposure (&gt;9 months; aOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.57–1.83) and current exposure (within 30 days before hospitalisation; aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.68–1.89) showed higher odds.</p> Conclusions <p>Fall-risk-increasing drug use was associated with a higher risk of fall-related hospitalisations in older adults. These findings support the importance of optimising prescribing and managing polypharmacy as potential strategies to improve patient safety and reduce the healthcare burden.</p>

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Drug Utilisation of Fall-Risk-Increasing Drugs (FRIDs) and Risk of Hospitalisation: A Nested Case–Control Study Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

  • Lara Perrella,
  • Elena Olmastroni,
  • Sara Mucherino,
  • Andrea Rossi,
  • Valentina Orlando,
  • Manuela Casula,
  • Enrica Menditto

摘要

Background

Falls are a leading cause of hospitalisation among older adults, with substantial impacts on quality of life and healthcare costs. Fall-risk-increasing drugs represent an important risk factor.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the association between fall-risk-increasing drug use and the risk of fall-related hospitalisation.

Methods

A nested case-control study was conducted using administrative healthcare data from a sample of Italian community-dwelling older adults. Cases included individuals aged ≥65 years hospitalised for fall-related injuries in 2018, matched 1:1 by sex and age with controls who had no fall-related injuries. Fall-risk-increasing drug exposure was assessed by drug class, duration and recency of use. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were estimated using logistic regression, controlling for polypharmacy and comorbidities.

Results

Among 16,118 cases and 16,118 controls (68.77% female, mean age 79.76 years), cases showed a higher prevalence of polypharmacy (five to nine drugs: 42.03 vs 37.16%; ten or more drugs: 7.02 vs 5.44%; p < 0.0001) and multimorbidity (three or more diseases: 6.42 vs 2.82%; p < 0.0001). Fall-risk-increasing drug use was higher in cases (37.70 vs 26.49%, p < 0.0001), with a 51% increased risk of fall-related hospitalisation (aOR 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44–1.59). Opioids (aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.31–1.50) and antidepressants (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.36–1.54) were associated with the highest risk. Prolonged fall-risk-increasing drug exposure (>9 months; aOR 1.69, 95% CI 1.57–1.83) and current exposure (within 30 days before hospitalisation; aOR 1.78, 95% CI 1.68–1.89) showed higher odds.

Conclusions

Fall-risk-increasing drug use was associated with a higher risk of fall-related hospitalisations in older adults. These findings support the importance of optimising prescribing and managing polypharmacy as potential strategies to improve patient safety and reduce the healthcare burden.