Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects a large portion of the elderly worldwide and is the most common dementia in this population. AD is usually accompanied by concurrent comorbidities leading to the simultaneous use of several drugs to improve the quality of life, which renders AD patients vulnerable to drug interactions and adverse reactions. This study assessed the frequency of polypharmacy based on comorbidities in AD patients from the city of Guarapuava, Paraná, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study in non-institutionalized and volunteer AD patients. The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale was applied to classify the AD stage and a socio-economic survey was used to identify possible comorbidities and medications taken. Medications were evaluated according to the Kussano’s criteria (2010) to identify polypharmacy. The incidence of polypharmacy was high (up to 65.9%, n = 27); hypertension was the most frequent comorbidity (58.54%, n = 24). AD patients inappropriately take drugs, either because of inattention or lack of popular medical understanding and may be subjected to consequences such as drug interactions and iatrogenic adverse reactions. Hence, studies focusing on AD patients investigating further risks caused by drug interactions are relevant and can increase awareness in their health care assistance and caregivers.

Key words: Alzheimer's disease, polypharmacy, iatrogeny, adverse reactions.