Pharmacological consumption and health for older persons.

Abstract

The aging of the population results in notable increases in the number of chronic diseases and multimorbidity, in the consumption of multiple drugs and related problems. The objective of this study is to conduct a review of pharmacological use in older people so that we can define the different factors that influence the consumption of drugs and the consequent health costs involved. To this end, a systematic review was carried out in different databases of international literature such as Web of Science, Scopus and Pubmed using the following descriptors: pharmacological consumption, major and pharmacological treatments, pharmacological expenditure, elderly people and medical treatments. The studies consulted indicate that more than 50% of all drugs sold are consumed by older adults; more than 80% of older adults take at least one medication per day and 75% do not inform their doctor that they are using unconventional treatments. In addition, all of the above makes us see how most of the increase in health and social spending is determined by the evolution of different non-demographic factors, such as the intensity of care, the cost of treatments or the development of new medical technologies. Factors, all of which, unlike demographic aging, are susceptible to future regulation and, therefore, to a large extent, are socially controllable. The aging process of the population represents a formidable challenge for the health system, since health spending per person increases rapidly with age. Therefore it is necessary to create programs and policies of action directed towards prevention, behaviors and healthy habits.