Introduction:While 10 percent of global total population was above the age of 65 in 2022, it tends to rise to 16 percent in 2050. In the case of our country, as of 2021, individuals aged 60 and above comprised 7.7% of the total population, with tendency of an increase to 11.9% by 2030 and 21.1% by 2050. In 2018, a study conducted in Brazil, involving 573 elderly participants, found that 10.3% regularly taking five or more medications. This highlights the necessity of studying polypharmacy among the elderly.

Materials and Methods :The study was conducted by analytic crosssectional design. Furthermore, the study was conducted during July 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024, in Ulaanbaatar, covering 6 districts. A total of 12 Family Health Centers (FHCs) were selected, including one from an apartment district and one from a ger district in each area. A random sampling method was used to select 238 elderly individuals aged 55 and above for females and 60 and above for males. From each district, 20 participants were selected, maintaining a gender ratio of 1:1. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson’s Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis. The study was conducted after obtaining approval from the research ethics committee of “Ach” Medical University.

Results:Among the 238 participants in the study, the gender distribution was equal, with 119 females (50%) and 119 males (50%). When analyzing the primary conditions requiring for regular medication by organ system, cardiovascular diseases were the most common, accounting for 89.9% (214) of total cases. A total of 37 elderly patients (15.5%) were found to be on polypharmacy (taking five or more medications). Males (n=10, 21.3%) had a higher prevalence of polypharmacy compared to females (n=4, 18.2%).
Polypharmacy was significantly more prevalent among individuals aged 76–84 years, with a rate of 22.4% (p=0.006). Statistically significant differences were observed between polypharmacy and factors such as the type of medications taken for primary diseases (p=0.001), medication dosage (p=0.001), and duration of medication use (p=0.005). Additionally, polypharmacy showed a significant association with comorbid disease-related medication use (p=0.002). Elderly individuals with gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal comorbidities exhibited a higher prevalence of polypharmacy.
Other significant factors associated with polypharmacy included the type of medications used for comorbid conditions (p=0.001), daily medication frequency (p=0.020), and adherence to prescribed medications for comorbid conditions (p=0.017). Multivariate regression analysis identified gender (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.26-6.97, p=0.007), housing type (OR 0.283, 95% CI 0.117-0.685, p=0.002), medication dosage (OR 4.62, 95% CI 1.97 10.81, p=0.001), and duration of medication use (OR 0.249, 95% CI 0.098-0.631, p=0.003) as statistically significant predicting factors of polypharmacy.

Conclusion:The use of polypharmacy in the elderly of Ulaanbaatar is 15.5%.