ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effect of multiple medications on the risk of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth(SIBO)in the elderly.Methods:Clinical data of 85 inpatients in the Department of Geriatrics, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University undergone HMBT from August 2017 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the HMBT results, they were divided into a SIBO(+ )group and a SIBO(-)group.Polypharmacy was defined as ≥ 5 types of medications.We analyzed the difference in the rate of polypharmacy between the two groups.Results:A total of 85 hospitalized elderly patients were included in the study.Of these patients, 38(44.71%)tested positive for SIBO.Polypharmacy occurred in 41 patients(48.24%). There were significant differences in types of drugs and polypharmacy between the SIBO(+ )group and the SIBO(-)group( t=3.01 and χ2=14.33, P<0.05 for both). Moreover, polypharmacy was a risk factor for SIBO( P=0.017, OR=10.85, 95% CI: 1.52-77.29). Among 14 commonly used drugs, gastrointestinal motility drugs were closely related to SIBO.There was a positive correlation between polypharmacy and the change in hydrogen levels at 90 min( P=0.040, r=0.22, 95% CI: 0.01-0.42). Conclusions:Polypharmacy is correlated with SIBO in the elderly, is a risk factor for SIBO and is helpful in clinical practice to assess the risk of SIBO and decide further examinations, contributing to early diagnosis and early treatment.