Drug prescription in the elderly with diabetic in the first level of care

Abstract

Introduction: the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the elderly represents an important challenge for the prescription given the heterogeneity of this population group.

Objective: to identify the characteristics of the drugs prescription in the elderly with diabetes in the first level of health care.

Method: a study of medication use, retrospective longitudinal descriptive observational type in the "José Martí" Polyclinic of Santiago de Cuba was carried out during the first quarter of 2017. The universe was made up of 15 diabetic patients intentionally selected from an family medical office. The precepts of the II Declaration of Helsinki and the Cuban ethical regulations were fulfilled.

Results: type 2 diabetic (93,33 %), female sex (73,33 %) and age groups 60-64 and 65-69 years (33,33 % respectively) predominated. Cardiovascular disease prevailed as comorbidity in the only type 1 diabetic, and in 64,29 % of types 2, the use of glibenclamide (66,67 %), followed by metformin (26,67 %). In two patients (20,00 %) the indication of glibenclamide was inadequate. Potential interactions with other drugs consumed were identified in 30,00 % of those treated with glibenclamide, 25,00 % with metformin and the only one with insulin. High association of the antidiabetic with the following drugs was found: acetylsalicylic acid (73,33 %), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (66,67 %) and thiazide diuretics (60,00 %).

Conclusions: there was a rational prescription, although other pharmacological alternatives can be evaluated taking into account adverse effects, interactions and indications