MO187NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUG PRESCRIPTION IN THE YOUNG-OLD AND VERY- OLD: TYPE, ROUTE AND BURDEN OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with cardiovascular and kidney adverse effects, especially in older adults. However, NSAIDs are still frequently prescribed to some at-risk groups. We aimed to evaluate the burden of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and pattern of NSAID prescription in the very-old and young-old. Method Cross-sectional study of older adults who received prescriptions over 3 years from a large healthcare cluster in Singapore. Individuals aged 65-79 years were the “young-old” and those ≥80 years were the “very-old”. Prescriptions and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were retrieved from electronic records. Results Among 197,932 older adults (including 41,079 very-old), 49.9% received at least 1 NSAID prescription. Topical NSAIDs were more frequently prescribed among the 19,979 very-old with NSAID prescriptions (91.5% versus 82.9% of the young-old), while oral non-selective (22.1% versus 38.5%) and selective NSAID (15.1% versus 24.9%) were less frequently prescribed compared to the young-old (all p<0.001). The very-old with NSAID prescriptions were more likely to have diabetes (38.2% vs. 32.8%), hypertension (19.3% vs. 14.0%), chronic kidney disease (51.4% vs. 23.6%) and cardiovascular disease (7.0% vs. 3.8%) than the young-old with NSAID prescriptions (all p<0.001). Table 1 shows that among the very-old, the odds of receiving oral non-selective NSAIDs was significantly lower in those with cardiovascular disease, while the odds of receiving oral COX II inhibitors was significantly higher in female and hypertension. Among the young-old, the odds of receiving oral non-selective NSAID was lower in those with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, while the odds of receiving oral COX II inhibitors was higher in female, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and lower in diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Conclusion This study highlights that NSAIDs were frequently prescribed among older adults with comorbidities that may predispose to NSAID-associated adverse events. Physician education and policies are required to avoid potentially inappropriate prescriptions.