Original Research
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
08:30 AM–10:00 AM
Abstract
Introduction:
Polypharmacy may lead to adverse health outcomes in older adults, but the relationship between polypharmacy and remains poorly defined.
Research Question or Hypothesis: This study aims to investigate the association between polypharmacy and accelerated biological aging, as well as the mediating effect of inflammatory markers.
Study Design: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: Participants who were 65 years of age or older and took at least one prescription medication from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2018) were included. The concurrent use of 5 to 9 medications was defined as polypharmacy, while the use of more than 9 medications was defined as hyper-polypharmacy. Biological aging was assessed from multiple perspectives, including phenotypic age, biological age, AnthropoAge, frailty index, telomere length and circulating a-klotho concentration. The degree of inflammation was quantified using four indices constructed based on blood cell counts, including the systemic immune-inflammation index, systemic inflammatory response index, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio. Weighted multiple linear regression analysis were performed to examine the association between polypharmacy and accelerated biological aging. Mediation analysis was conducted to assess the influence of inflammatory markers on the relationship between polypharmacy and accelerated biological aging.
Results: Of 12,238 participants, 4,115 (weighted percentage: 38.0%) were taking 5 to 9 medications, and 474 (weighted percentage: 4.5%) were taking more than 9 medications. After adjustment for multiple covariates, both polypharmacy and hyper-polypharmacy were significantly associated with a-klotho, phenotypic age, biological age, AnthropoAge, and frailty index, but not telomere length. Mediation analyses indicated that the association between polypharmacy and accelerated biological aging was partially mediated by inflammatory markers, with the proportion of mediation varying from 0.69% to 19.60% (all P<0.05).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that polypharmacy is significantly associated with multiple measures of biological aging, which may be partially mediated by inflammation. It also highlight the importance of monitoring polypharmacy and its effects on inflammation and aging in elderly.
Presenting Author
Kai Wei PhDGuizhou Provincial People's Hospital
Authors
Chun Chen MS
Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital
Qi Chen PhD
Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital
Yu Li BS
Guizhou Construction Hospital
Yanping Yang MS
Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital
Min Zhang PharmD