Introduction: Polypharmacy is closely associated with multimorbidity in the elderly and can lead to problems and drug interactions.
Aim: This study assessed polypharmacy in the elderly, tracking inquiries to the Poison Information Centre Nuremberg (PICN) and patients needing toxicological intensive care therapy.
Methods: From 2006-2009, all PICN inquiries involving individuals > 70 years were tracked, as were cases at the Toxicological Intensive Care Unit (T-ICU) regarding adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug poisoning.
Results: Of 11,683 PICN calls about pharmaceuticals, 175 (1.5%) were from people > 70 years; 156 (4.8%) of 3,272 T-ICU patients were > 70 years. Calls about psychopharmaceuticals (46.9%) and analgesics (25.7%) were most frequent. Among the T-ICU patients, psychopharmaceuticals like sedatives and hypnotics were frequently involved (20.5%), as were tricyclic antidepressants (17.9%) and analgesics (29.5%). Ethanol was co-ingested by 18.3%.
Conclusion: Population-specific poison prevention strategies are needed to reduce toxic exposures. Such strategies could include pharmacist intervention, improved prescriber communication and education regarding the geriatric population, and computerized drug databases.