Biomaterial Database

Age-related prescribing patterns in general practice. 1987

L Nolan, and K O'Malley

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin.

To examine differences in prescribing patterns in relation to patient age, all drugs dispensed during 1 week in a sample of community pharmacies were recorded. The mean number of drugs per prescription increased linearly from 1.5 in children aged 0-9 years to 2.8 in patients 80 years and over. The rate of prescribing of diuretics, benzodiazepines, non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents and drugs acting on the cardiovascular system increased markedly with advancing age. Drugs with a low therapeutic ratio were also prescribed more frequently for patients over 65 years. Psychotropic agents (15.9%), diuretics (13.8%) and cardiovascular drugs (13.7%) were the most commonly prescribed drugs in this age group. While a minority of elderly patients were prescribed a large number of drugs, prescribing rates overall did not appear excessive.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007494	Ireland	A country in western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain. The capital is Dublin.	Eire,Ireland, Republic of,Irish Free State
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D011307	Drug Prescriptions	Directions written for the obtaining and use of DRUGS.	Drug Prescribing,Drug Prescription,Drug Prescribings,Prescribing, Drug,Prescribings, Drug
D011619	Psychotropic Drugs	A loosely defined grouping of drugs that have effects on psychological function. Here the psychotropic agents include the antidepressive agents, hallucinogens, and tranquilizing agents (including the antipsychotics and anti-anxiety agents).	Psychoactive Agent,Psychoactive Agents,Psychoactive Drug,Psychopharmaceutical,Psychopharmaceuticals,Psychotropic Drug,Psychoactive Drugs,Agent, Psychoactive,Agents, Psychoactive,Drug, Psychoactive,Drug, Psychotropic,Drugs, Psychoactive,Drugs, Psychotropic
D002317	Cardiovascular Agents	Agents that affect the rate or intensity of cardiac contraction, blood vessel diameter, or blood volume.	Cardioactive Agent,Cardioactive Drug,Cardiovascular Agent,Cardiovascular Drug,Cardioactive Agents,Cardioactive Drugs,Cardiovascular Drugs,Agent, Cardioactive,Agent, Cardiovascular,Drug, Cardioactive,Drug, Cardiovascular
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004077	Digoxin	A cardiotonic glycoside obtained mainly from Digitalis lanata; it consists of three sugars and the aglycone DIGOXIGENIN. Digoxin has positive inotropic and negative chronotropic activity. It is used to control ventricular rate in ATRIAL FIBRILLATION and in the management of congestive heart failure with atrial fibrillation. Its use in congestive heart failure and sinus rhythm is less certain. The margin between toxic and therapeutic doses is small. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 30th ed, p666)	Digacin,Digitek,Digoregen,Digoxina Boehringer,Digoxine Nativelle,Dilanacin,Hemigoxine Nativelle,Lanacordin,Lanicor,Lanoxicaps,Lanoxin,Lanoxin-PG,Lenoxin,Mapluxin,Boehringer, Digoxina,Lanoxin PG,Nativelle, Digoxine,Nativelle, Hemigoxine