{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T16:20:06Z","timestamp":1788884406687,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,15]],"date-time":"2019-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1557878400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Geriatrics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Saudi Arabia has a great percentage of geriatric patients associated with multiple chronic diseases who require close attention and monitoring for their medications. The purpose of this study is to develop a full-framed picture about the utilization of medications for geriatric patients and how to provide better health-care management. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional study targeting patients 65 years of age and older, who are taking multiple chronic medications for different indications. Descriptive analysis and frequency of the main variables were used as appropriate. Only qualified and professional candidates were chosen for data entry to present the quality and accuracy of data. Results: A total of 3009 patient profiles were analyzed, with the patients\u2019 average age in years being 73.26 \u00b1 6.6 (SD). It was found that 55% of the patients have polypharmacy. An average of 6.4 medications were prescribed for patients aged between 65 and 70 years compared with a significant difference for patients aged 71 years and above, while a linear correlation between age and comorbidity diseases associated with all elderly patients. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus are the most common comorbidity diseases for elderly patients aged 65 years and older. Conclusion: Polypharmacy in geriatrics is defined as a patient aged 65 years and older receiving five or more appropriate medications. It is the responsibility of health-care professionals to reduce the number of medications in elderly patients. Awareness of geriatric medications and diagnosed diseases will improve managing adverse drug reaction and other risk factors. Awareness of geriatric medications should elaborate on how to avoid adverse drug reaction and other risk factors. It is the responsibility of physicians and pharmacists to reduce the number of medications in elderly patients. We also prove that the number of medications will not necessarily increase with age. The main impact of this study is to follow the main recommendations to improve health care management in geriatrics.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/geriatrics4020036","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,15]],"date-time":"2019-05-15T11:37:40Z","timestamp":1557920260000},"page":"36","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":44,"title":["A Comprehensive Overview of Polypharmacy in Elderly Patients in Saudi Arabia"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Aseel","family":"Alsuwaidan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Princes Nourah University, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Norah","family":"Almedlej","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Princes Nourah University, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sawsan","family":"Alsabti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Princes Nourah University, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Omamah","family":"Daftardar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Pharmacy, Princes Nourah University, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fawzi","family":"Al Deaji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pharmacist Consultant in Prince Sultan Military Medical Center, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali","family":"Al Amri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Family Medicine Consultant, King Abdullah University Hospital, Princes Nourah University, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1705-1595","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salem","family":"Alsuwaidan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Research Consultant in Health Science Research Center, Princes Nourah University, Riyadh KSA 84428, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"United Nations (2018, March 29). Global Issues (Ageing). Available online: http:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/sections\/issues-depth\/ageing\/."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.3949\/ccjm.85a.16109","article-title":"Medication management in older adults","volume":"85","author":"Kim","year":"2018","journal-title":"Clevel. Clin. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Whitson, H.E., and Boyd, C.M. (2018, March 29). Managing Multiple Comorbidities. UpToDate. (Updated May 2018). Available online: https:\/\/www.uptodate.com\/contents\/managing-multiple-comorbidities."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"World Bank (2018, April 03). World Databank: World Development Indicators (1960\u20132014). Available online: https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/country\/saudi-arabia."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"292","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jsps.2017.11.008","article-title":"The health of Saudi older adults; results from the Saudi National Survey for Elderly Health (SNSEH) 2006\u20132015","volume":"26","author":"Khoja","year":"2018","journal-title":"Saudi Pharm. J."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e010989","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2015-010989","article-title":"Defining polypharmacy in the elderly: A systematic review protocol","volume":"6","author":"Mortazavi","year":"2016","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Rochon, P.A. (2018, March 29). Drug Prescribing for Older Adults. UpToDate. (Updated November 2018). Available online: https:\/\/www.uptodate.com\/contents\/drug-prescribing-for-older-adults."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"465","DOI":"10.7861\/clinmedicine.16-5-465","article-title":"The epidemiology of polypharmacy","volume":"16","author":"Payne","year":"2016","journal-title":"Clin. Med. (London)."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"695","DOI":"10.1517\/14740338.6.6.695","article-title":"Clinical consequences of polypharmacy in elderly: Expect the unexpected, think the unthinkable","volume":"6","author":"Salazar","year":"2007","journal-title":"Expert Opin. Drug Saf."},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"723678","article-title":"Clinical pharmacology in old persons","volume":"2012","author":"Jansen","year":"2012","journal-title":"Sci. (Cairo)"},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Wells, B., DiPiro, J., Schwinghammer, T., and DiPiro, C. (2015). Pharmacotherapy Handbook, McGraw-Hill. [9th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"447","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anclin.2015.05.003","article-title":"Physiology Considerations in Geriatric Patients","volume":"33","author":"Alvis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Anesthesiol Clin."},{"key":"ref_13","first-page":"5","article-title":"Polypharmacy correlates with increased risk for hip fracture in the elderly: A population-based study","volume":"89","author":"Lai","year":"2010","journal-title":"Med. (Baltim.)"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"916","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.15317","article-title":"Associations Between Polypharmacy and Cognitive and Physical Capability: A British Birth Cohort Study","volume":"66","author":"Rawle","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Am. Geriatr. Soc."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2125.2003.02007.x","article-title":"Age-related changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics: Basic principles and practical applications","volume":"57","author":"Mangoni","year":"2004","journal-title":"Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"796","DOI":"10.1111\/bcp.12596","article-title":"Adverse drug reactions in special populations\u2014The elderly","volume":"80","author":"Davies","year":"2015","journal-title":"Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol."},{"key":"ref_17","unstructured":"(2018, March 29). General Authority of Statistics in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-Elderly Survey (2017), Available online: https:\/\/www.stats.gov.sa\/sites\/default\/files\/elderly_survey2017ar.pdf."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"809","article-title":"Use of medications and polypharmacy are increasing among the elderly","volume":"55","author":"Linjakumpu","year":"2002","journal-title":"Epidemiology"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Masnoon, N., Shakib, S., Kalisch-Ellett, L., and Caughey, G.E. (2017). What is polypharmacy? A systematic review of definitions. Bmc Geriatr., 17.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-017-0621-2"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1517\/14740338.2013.827660","article-title":"Clinical Consequences of Polypharmacy in Elderly","volume":"13","author":"Maher","year":"2014","journal-title":"Expert Opin. Drug Saf."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1544","DOI":"10.1001\/jamainternmed.2017.4790","article-title":"The Dangers of Polypharmacy in Elderly Patients","volume":"177","author":"Turgeon","year":"2017","journal-title":"JAMA Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"421","DOI":"10.5001\/omj.2016.85","article-title":"Prevalence and Covariates of Polypharmacy in Elderly Patients on Discharge from a Tertiary \u2028Care Hospital in Oman","volume":"31","year":"2016","journal-title":"Oman. Med. J."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2867","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2008.892","article-title":"Use of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements among older adults in the United States","volume":"300","author":"Qato","year":"2008","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"373","DOI":"10.1016\/0021-9681(87)90171-8","article-title":"A new method of classifying prognostic comorbidity in longitudinal studies: Development and validation","volume":"40","author":"Charlson","year":"1987","journal-title":"J. Chronic Dis."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1465","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1532-5415.2012.04075.x","article-title":"Comorbidity\u2013polypharmacy scoring facilitates outcome prediction in older trauma patients","volume":"60","author":"Evans","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Am. Geriatr. Soc."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"277","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/31.4.277","article-title":"Geriatric Index of Comorbidity: Validation and comparison with other measures of comorbidity","volume":"31","author":"Rozzini","year":"2002","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Molokhia, M., and Majeed, A. (2017). Current and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy. BMC Fam. Pract., 18.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12875-017-0642-0"},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"Mair, A., Fernandez-Llimos, F., Alonso, A., Harrison, C., Hurding, S., Kempen, T.G.H., Kinnear, M., Michael, N., McIntosh, J., and Wilson, M. (2018, March 29). The Simpathy Consortium. Polypharmacy Management by 2030: A Patient Safety Challenge. Available online: https:\/\/openair.rgu.ac.uk\/handle\/10059\/2493."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1107","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.289.9.1107","article-title":"Incidence and Preventability of Adverse Drug Events Among Older Persons in the Ambulatory Setting","volume":"289","author":"Gurwitz","year":"2003","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1305","DOI":"10.2146\/ajhp170404","article-title":"Polypharmacy: America\u2019s other drug problem","volume":"74","author":"Guharoy","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am. J. Health-Syst. Pharm."},{"key":"ref_31","first-page":"1","article-title":"Prevalence of poly-pharmacy in the elderly: Implications of age, gender, comorbidities and drug interactions","volume":"1","author":"Mubarak","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci."}],"container-title":["Geriatrics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2308-3417\/4\/2\/36\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T12:52:05Z","timestamp":1760187125000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2308-3417\/4\/2\/36"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,15]]},"references-count":31,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,6]]}},"alternative-id":["geriatrics4020036"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/geriatrics4020036","relation":{},"ISSN":["2308-3417"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2308-3417","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,15]]}}}