Introduction Pharmacological therapy plays an important role in disease control in the elderly; unfortunately, this comes with a high prevalence in the use of medications classified as potentially inappropriate. Objective To analyze the incidence, risk factors, and survival of elderly people using potentially inappropriate medications (PIM). Method A ten-year follow-up assessment of elderly participants residing in a capital of Central Brazil was conducted. The initial assessment (baseline) included 418 elderly people. Data were collected through home interviews guided by a questionnaire covering socioeconomic, demographic, living conditions, and health variables. The medication information obtained comprised active ingredient, dosage, route, and regimen for the medications. The PIMs were classified according to 2019 Beers Criteria. The analyses were performed using STATA 15.0. For survival analysis, a Cox Regression was performed with the respective Kaplan Meier curve. Results The incidence of PIM was 44.1 cases (95% CI: 35.2–54.7) per 1,000 people a year. The most used PIMs were nifedipine, glibenclamide, and sodium diclofenac. The risk factors were polypharmacy (aRR: 3.00; 95% CI: 1.31–6.88) and diabetes mellitus (aRR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.03–2.39). We identified no statistically significant association between survival and the use of PIM. Conclusion The study highlights the high consumption of PIM among the elderly causing polypharmacy risks. Health professionals working in drug treatment need to be alert to polypharmacy risks to ensure the rational use of medications to prevent adverse reactions and other health problems.

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BackgroundMuch of the knowledge on the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) in older adults is derived from cross-sectional studies, with little known about the risk factors over time. AimLongitudinal analysis was applied to estimate the occurrence and risk factors of PIM use among older adults in a 10-year follow-up.Methods Longitudinal study with 418 older adult residents of a capital city of Central-West Brazil. The PIM were classified according to the Beers criteria 2019. The usage rate was calculated at baseline (2008) and at the 10-year follow-up moment (2018). Analysis of predictors (sociodemographic, self-rated health, hospitalization, number of comorbidities, polypharmacy, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and nutritional status) was performed using Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models.ResultsMean age at baseline was 70.6 years (SD 7.1) and 76% were women; 221 older adults took part in the follow up. The rate of PIM use was 50.4% at baseline and 57.5% at the 10-year follow-up. Multiple analysis showed that PIM use in the cohort was statistically higher in the older adults with a history of hospitalization (RRadj: 1.20; 95%CI: 1.01-1.40), with three or more diseases (RRadj: 1.41; 95%CI: 1.14-1.74), with polypharmacy (RRadj: 1.81; 95%CI: 1.47-2.24) and with diabetes mellitus (RRadj: 1.24; 95%CI: 1.05-1.47).ConclusionA high level of potentially inappropriate medication use was observed, reaching 50% of the older adults, with a 7% increase in the prevalence over the 10-year follow-up period. Hospitalization, multimorbidities, polypharmacy and diabetes mellitus were associated with the use of these medications. Interventions for surveillance of the deprescribing process need to be encouraged to avoid potential harm caused by the use of medications.