The reasons for polypharmacy among patients with HF can be both complex and multifactorial. 3 When prescription and OTC medications and CAM use are taken into account, polypharmacy may be universal in patients with HF. In a single-center study of 161 patients with HF, 88% reported using OTC medications, 34.8% took herbal supplements, and 65.2% took vitamins.īy definition, polypharmacy is the long-term use of ≥5 medications. Unfortunately, the information on the prevalence of OTC and CAM use in patients with HF is limited. Older adults are the largest consumers of OTC medications, taking on average 4 OTC medications per day. With many prescription medications switching to OTC status, the consumption of OTC products appears to be increasing. 2 More than 15 million Americans consume vitamins or CAMs, especially those with chronic illnesses. This estimate does not include over-the-counter (OTC) medications or complementary and alternative medications (CAMs).
On average, HF patients take 6.8 prescription medications per day, resulting in 10.1 doses a day. Patients with HF often have a high medication burden consisting of multiple medications and complex dosing regimens. It is likely that the prevention of drug-drug interactions and direct myocardial toxicity would reduce hospital admissions, thus both reducing costs and improving quality of life. 1 Hospitalization for HF is the largest segment of those costs. The estimated cost for treatment of HF in Medicare recipients is $31 billion and is expected to increase to $53 billion by 2030. Heart failure (HF) remains the leading discharge diagnosis among patients ≥65 years of age.
Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).Circ: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB).
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