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Oxford University Press (OUP), Age and Ageing, 1(44), p. 46-53
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Much more medicine for the oldest old: trends in UK electronic clinical records
,
Behrooz Tavakoly,
Rachel E. Winder,
Jane A. H. Masoli,
William E. Henley,
Alessandro Ble,
Suzanne H. Richards
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Abstract
This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record. ; BACKGROUND: the oldest old (85+) pose complex medical challenges. Both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis are claimed in this group. OBJECTIVE: to estimate diagnosis, prescribing and hospital admission prevalence from 2003/4 to 2011/12, to monitor trends in medicalisation. DESIGN AND SETTING: observational study of Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) electronic medical records from general practice populations (eligible; n = 27,109) with oversampling of the oldest old. METHODS: we identified 18 common diseases and five geriatric syndromes (dizziness, incontinence, skin ulcers, falls and fractures) from Read codes. We counted medications prescribed ≥1 time in all quarters of studied years. RESULTS: there were major increases in recorded prevalence of most conditions in the 85+ group, especially chronic kidney disease (stages 3-5: prevalence