INTRODUCTION: Polypharmacy is an important issue in the elderly care. The ones under institutionalization have higher risks, due to their comorbidities, frailty and dependency. This study aims to evaluate the factors associated with polypharmacy in institutionalized elderly. METHODS: A retrospective, crosssectional study was carried out. All medical charts of patients aged 60 years old or more in a huge public nursing home were evaluated. A protocol containing socio-demographic data, number and types of diseases, number of drugs, types of drugs, functional status and time of institutionalization were analyzed. Through statistical analysis, these factors were linked or not to polypharmacy. RESULTS: The final sample comprised 209 patients, 73.2% women, average age of 75.9 years and with an institutionalized time of 95.3 months. The most prevalent diseases were: arterial hypertension - 67.9%, dementia - 36.8% and stroke or head trauma sequelae - 33.9%. In this study, the associated factors related to polypharmacy in nursing home residents were: lack of cognitive deficit, (OR=3,61 - IC: 1,96-6,65), use of cardiovascular drugs (OR=0,22 - IC: 0,11-0,44), use of gastrointestinal and metabolic drugs(OR=0,38 - IC: 0,21-0,67), five or more diagnosis (OR=1,90 - IC: 1,08-3,33), institutionalized time between 12 and 23 months (OR:0,32 - IC: 0,11- 0,91) and greater dependency in Katz scale (OR: 1,90 - IC:1,07-3,22). There were no relationship with age, sex, psychiatric drugs and diagnosis of stroke or head trauma sequelae. CONCLUSION: It follows that institutionalized elderly have different aspects as compared to outpatients or community, with major factors related to functionality and time of institutionalization than to age and sex.
Health of Institutionalized Elderly; Drug Evaluation; Homes for the Aged; Iatrogenic Disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Polypharmacy; Nursing homes; Elderly; Iatrogeny