Research Article
Medication Consumption Patterns and Polypharmacy among Community-Dwelling Elderly in Lomé (Togo) in 2017
Table 2
Medications consumption patterns of community-dwelling elderly in Lomé, Togo in 2017 (N = 370).
| | Total (N = 370) | Male (N = 167) | Female (N = 203) | p value |
| Number of medications taken1 | 0.074 | Median (IQR) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–4) | 3 (1–5) | |
| Medications taken1, n (%) | 0.197 | 0 | 69 (18.6) | 37 (22.2) | 32 (15.8) | | 1 | 51 (13.8) | 21 (12.6) | 30 (14.8) | | 2 | 69 (18.6) | 36 (21.5) | 33 (16.2) | | ≥3 | 179 (48.4) | 72 (43.1) | 107 (52.7) | | MD | 2 (0.6) | 1 (0.6) | 1 (0.5) | |
| Type of medication, n (%) | Conventional drug | 290 (78.4) | 127 (76.1) | 163 (80.3) | 0.083 | Dietary supplement | 35 (9.5) | 16 (9.6) | 19 (9.4) | 0.124 | Plants/Herbs | 53 (14.3) | 24 (14.4) | 29 (14.3) | 0.983 |
| Self-medication, n (%) | 0.518 | Yes | 249 (67.3) | 116 (69.5) | 133 (65.5) | | No | 112 (30.3) | 46 (27.6) | 66 (32.5) | | MD | 9 (2.4) | 5 (2.9) | 4 (2.0) | |
| Concurrent use, n (%) | Yes | 63 (17.0) | 29 (17.4) | 34 (16.7) | 0.940 | No | 306 (82.7) | 138 (82.6) | 168 (82.8) | | MD | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.5) | |
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IQR = interquartile range; MD = Missing data. 1Number of medications including medicinal herbs and dietary supplements. Mann-Whitney U test; Fisher’s exact test; Chi square test. |