Uso inapropiado de medicamentos en adultos mayores: resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2010 / Inappropriate medication use among Chilean older people

Background: Inappropriate medication use in older people is an important source of adverse events and complications. Aim: To determine the frequency of inappropriate medication use in the general population. Material and Methods: As part of the 2010 Chilean National Health Survey, 1,048 persons aged 65 years or more were interviewed about medication use. The information obtained was analyzed using standardized Beer’s criteria, adapted for the Chilean population, to define inappropriate medication use. A logistic regression model was performed to define risk factors for inappropriate medication use. Results: Ten percent of subjects had a high risk of inappropriate medication use. The most common medications used were chlorphenamine, amitriptyline, diazepam, chlorpromazine, chlordiazepoxide and piroxicam. The risk factors detected were female gender, polypharmacy and a bad health self-perception. Conclusions: Inappropriate medication use is common among Chilean older people and should be discouraged.

Prevalencia de síndrome metabólico en población adulta Chilena: Datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2003 / Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Chilean adults

Background: There are several diagnostic criteria for Metabolic Syndrome (MS) defnition. Aim: To study their application in the Chilean general adult population. Material and Methods: We analyzed data from a random sub sample of 1.833 adults aged 17 years and older surveyed during the First Chilean National Health Survey conducted in 2003. The prevalence of MS was estimated using the update Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF 2005) criteria. The distribution of MS was analyzed according to age, gender, educational level, geographic area, obesity and sedentary lifestyle. Results: The overall prevalence of MS was 31.6 percent (95 percent CI 28.5-34.9) and 36.8 percent (95 percent CI 33.5-40.3), according to update ATPIII-NCEP and IDF criteria respectively. Both criteria had a 90 percent concordance. Demographic and socioeconomic distribution was similar for both criteria. The prevalence of high blood pressure, high fasting glucose, and low HDL cholesterol (MS components) were: 46, 22 and 53 percent respectively. The prevalence of abnormal waist circumference was 30 and 59 percent according to update ATPIII-NCEP and IDF criteria, respectively. Using update ATPIII-NCEP criteria, the gender, age and educational level adjusted odds ratio (OR) for having MS was 9.59 (95 percent IC 6.8- 13.6) for obese subjects compared with normal weight subjects and 2.14 (95 percent IC 1.3-3.7) for sedentary subjects compared with non sedentary. Conclusions: There was a 90 percent agreement between update ATPIII-NCEP and IDF criteria for the diagnosis of MS. The overall prevalence of MS in this population was 32 percent usuing update ATPIII-NCEP criteria, with higher prevalence among obese and sedentary subjects.