Abstract
The objective is to describe disability risk factors in Lebanese elderly living in rural settings, focusing on the role of polypharmacy, alcohol consumption, and nutrition. The Aging and Malnutrition in Elderly Lebanese study, a cross-sectional population-based one (April 2011–April 2012), included 1200 individuals aged ≥65 years from 24 Lebanese rural districts. The results showed that 288 (24%) were disabled and 287 (23.9%) exposed to polypharmacy. More disabled participants were found among patients exposed to polypharmacy (40.8%) than those who were not (18.8%). Major classes associated with disability were “Parkinson” and “Alzheimer” medications, with “alcohol consumption” being responsible for a major interaction with medications. Chronic diseases, nutrition, and socioeconomic status also had a large efect on disability. Skin ulcer (ORa = 8.569; CI 5.330–14.823), followed by dementia (ORa = 3.667; CI 1.167–8.912), and anti-gout drugs (ORa = 3.962; CI 1.290–7.622) were found to be significantly associated with increased odds of disability the most. Many factors are associated with disability among elderly, including polypharmacy and the association of medications with alcohol. Counseling of the elderly caregivers is warranted.
Highlights
Demographic transition has reached Lebanon before any other Arab country, with the percentage (7.4%) of Lebanese elderly people aged 65 years or more being the highest in the region [1,2]
In 2012, disability occurred in 20.1% of the participants in a Japanese study directed by Yoshida et al [38]
The association found between polypharmacy and the functional status decline acts through different hypothetical pathways
Summary
Demographic transition has reached Lebanon before any other Arab country, with the percentage (7.4%) of Lebanese elderly people aged 65 years or more being the highest in the region [1,2]. The functional status decline is one of the major complications elderly people may encounter. Different aspects of an elderly life can be affected by this decline. The implications range from a slight decrease in the quality of life at early stages to an increased demand of resources for care and rehabilitation, hospitalization or admission to residential care, and may even evolve to premature death. Thereby, prevention of disability in the elderly is a matter of humanitarian, economic, and public health concern [3]. The development of adequate preventive strategies requires an understanding of the mechanisms behind the age-associated decline in the functional status [4]
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