Background: The objective was to identify the determining factors of drug utilization in the elderly by using several classes of drugs.
Methods: We studied drug utilization in 1373 women, aged 75 and over, selected in the EPIDOS study concerning hip fractures in the Languedoc-Roussillon region (France) and in 2525 men and women, aged 60 and over selected for the POLA study (age-related eye diseases) in the town of Sete. We defined a priori three types of drugs considering the perceived risk by the physician, and the potential demand from the patient (I - Etio-pathogenic drugs with iatrogenic risk; II - Symptomatic drugs without perceived risk; III - Psychotropic drugs). To validate this classification, we studied drug consumption by age and sex, its relationship with mortality and education level, the fact of living alone, subjective health and level of physical activity.
Results: The total drug consumption level, measured by the number of drugs taken daily, was higher in women but, at any age, men more often used type I drugs. Survival was also related to the number of type I drugs, that may be considered as an indicator of serious pathology. Inversely, no relationship was observed between survival and the number of type II drugs that grouped symptomatic or comfort drugs.
Conclusion: Such typology can help to understand drug over-utilization in the elderly.