MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIOLOGICAL-ASPECTS OF DRUG-TREATMENT IN80-YEAR-OLDS

The use of drugs was related to medical, psychological, and sociologic al parameters in an 80-year-old population. Use of drugs on the whole, as well as the use of specific drug categories such as digitalis, diu retics, other cardiovascular drugs, hypnotics, sedatives, analgesics a nd laxatives were related to an impaired quality of life. However, the use of vitamins and herbal pills was not related to an impaired quali ty of life. Use of hypnotics was related to neuroticism and to depress ed mood. Persons using digitalis, diuretics and other cardiovascular d rugs felt more lonely and had a stronger feeling of loneliness. Accord ing to a discriminant analysis, five questions could identify 70 % of the persons using drugs. These questions were: frequency of visits to the doctor, subjective health, smoking (smokers used fewer drugs), fee ling of loneliness, and objective health.