ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of chronic diseases and drug use among geriatric cases in Ardesen County of Rize Province.

A cross-sectional and descriptive correlational study including 482 elderly was conducted between March and June 2014. Data were collected using the personal information form via faceto-face interviews. All data were analyzed as percentages using the chi-square test.

In this study, 97.9% of the elderly had chronic diseases and 52.9% were in the 65-74-year age group. The most frequent chronic diseases included those of the cardiovascular system (74.3%). In addition, 49% of the group used three or four medications daily, and 99.2% took their medications orally. However, these medications caused gastrointestinal problems for 24.3% of the subjects. For 44.6% of the elderly, the most challenging aspect regarding their medications was forgetting to take them. Sex, age, profession, monthly income level, and social security status affected the duration of the chronic diseases of the elderly, whereas age, marital status, educational level, profession, social security coverage, and the people with whom they lived affected the number of medications used daily by this group (p<0.05).

Preventive measures should focus on reducing risk factors related to the development of chronic diseases and the drugs used to treat them.

Keywords: Chronic disease, drug use, aged, prevalence