[Clinical and socio-sanitary characteristics in adults older than 65 years attended in the Primary Care setting. The PYCAF study]

Objective: To describe the clinical and socio-sanitary characteristics of adults older than 65 years attended in a Primary Care setting.

Material and methods: The PYCAF study (Prevalence and Characteristics of the Fragile Elderly) is a descriptive, cross-sectional and multicentre study, in which patients older than 65 years attended in clinical practice in Primary Care in Spain were consecutively included.

Results: A total of 2,461 patients (mean age 76.0±6.9 years, 57.9% women) were included in the study. The coexistence of cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities was frequent, with arterial hypertension (73.7%) being the most prevalent, followed by dyslipidaemia (58.3%), arthrosis (56.4%), obesity (34.0%), and diabetes (28.9%). Some degree of cognitive impairment was observed in 13.4% of patients. Women had higher rates of frailty (61.0% vs. 51.8%; P<.001). Just under half (47.4%) of subjects were taking more than 6 drugs, with the prescription being higher in women (44.2% vs. 49.8%; P=.047). Just under half (49.5%) of patients made more than 10 visits to Primary Care, 25.9% of patients 4 or more visits to the specialist, and 22.3% of patients were admitted to hospital in the last year.

Conclusions: The PYCAF study shows that elderly patients have a higher prevalence of chronic cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases, which leads to high polypharmacy. The latter has consequences both on patient safety and on the direct and indirect costs of the National Health System that emanate from the care of patients over 65 years of age. Half the sample has fragility.