Vulnerabilidade clínico-funcional e o uso de medicamentos em idosos.

Abstract

The constant growth of the elderly population represents a major health challenge in Brazil, since multimorbidity is a growing reality in this group, resulting in an increase in disabilities and the use of medications. In this sense, the natural physiological fragility linked to the excessive use of medications can cause more harm than good, intensifying the selinity process. Objective: To analyze the relationship between clinical-functional vulnerability and the use of medication in the elderly. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in basic health units in the municipality of Cuité, in Paraíba. The sample consisted of 140 elderly people living in urban and rural areas. The following instruments were used to collect data: Mini Mental State Examination, sociodemographic profile questionnaire and the Functional Clinical Vulnerability Index-20. To measure the relationship between the variables, inferential statistical analysis procedures were used, using the Spearman correlation test. Results: 87.1% of the elderly were taking medication. A positive statistical correlation was found between the Functional Clinical Vulnerability Index-20, number of medications used and age, as the greater the number of medications used, the higher the IVCF score and also the greater the age. Conclusion: Functional decline is related to the amount of medication used and also to increasing age. However, it cannot be said that the use of medication alone results in functional decline, there is a set of associated factors.