SynthesisDrugs & aging2017
Adverse Health Events Related to Self-Medication Practices Among Elderly: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Drugs & aging, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Polypharmacy and health outcomes in atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Open heart · 2020Pooled it
- Epidemiology of self-medication in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2018Pooled it
- Self-Medication as a Type of Nonadherence in Cardiac Patients Over 50 Years of Age.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Article
- Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to self-medication practices among the adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Homocysteine in the Cardiovascular Setting: What to Know, What to Do, and What Not to Do.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2025Review
- Exploring Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use on Elderly Patients in a General Medicine Ward Using 2023 AGS Beers Criteria.Aging medicine (Milton (N.S.W)) · 2025Article
- Polypharmacy and self-medication among older adults in Indian urban communities-a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Examining the evolution and impact of OTC vending machines in Global Healthcare Systems.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2024Review
- Self-medication among general population in the European Union: prevalence and associated factors.European journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Patterns of self-medication and intention to seek pharmacist guidance among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Macao: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Self-medication practice among the general public in Jordan: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Assessing the Reasons and Adverse Effects of Self-Medication in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sierra Leone. A Case Study of Moriba Town Section.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- Flight safety risk assessment of self-medication among fighter pilots: a cross-sectional study.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2023Article
- Self-Medication Practices Among the Geriatric Population: A Systematic Literature Review.Cureus · 2023Review
- Self-Medication Practices, Use of Brand-Name, and Over-the-Counter Medicines by Peruvian Older Adults.Canadian geriatrics journal : CGJ · 2023Article
- Evaluation of Potential Drug Interactions with AiDKlinikIntegrated pharmacy research & practice · 2022Article
- Evaluating Inappropriate Medication Prescribing Among Elderly Patients in Palestine Using the STOPP/ START Criteria.Clinical interventions in aging · 2022Observational
- Does self-medication reduce medical expenditure among the middle-aged and elderly population? A four-wave longitudinal study in China.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Evaluation of the potential environmental risk from the destination of medicines: an epidemiological and toxicological study.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2021Observational
- Access to Medicines via Non-Pharmacy Outlets in European Countries-A Review of Regulations and the Influence on the Self-Medication Phenomenon.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOlder adults often resort to self-medication to relieve symptoms of their current illnesses; however, the risks of this practice are multiplied in old age. In particular, this age group is more vulnerable to adverse drug events because of the physiological changes that occur due to senescence.
objectiveThe aim of the study was to obtain an overview of the adverse health events related to self-medication among subjects aged 60 years and over through a systematic review of the literature.
methodsA study of relevant articles was conducted among databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EBM Reviews-Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews). Eligibility criteria were established and applied by two investigators to include suitable studies. The results and outcomes of interest were detailed in a descriptive report.
resultsThe electronic search identified 4096 references, and the full texts of 74 were reviewed, of which four were retained in the analysis: three had a cross-sectional design and one prospectively followed elderly subjects. The first study showed a 26.7% prevalence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among elders, the second study found a 75% prevalence of side effects, and, finally, a prospective study showed an ADR incidence of 4.5% among self-medicated elders. These studies showed that adverse health events related to self-medication are relatively frequently reported. They also highlighted that analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs are the most self-medicated products, while vitamins and dietary supplements also appear to be frequently self-administered, but by older individuals.
conclusionsStudies on self-medication in the elderly and its adverse health effects are clearly lacking. There is a need to perform prospective studies on this topic to gain a clear understanding of the extent of this problem and to enhance the awareness of health professionals to better inform seniors.
Indexed as
Identifiers
28247317What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.