Vitamin D prescribed to half of those 90 or older (France) – Jan 2025

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Medication Use in People Aged 90 Years and Older: A Nationwide Study

J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2025 Jan 10:105459. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105459
Lukshe Kanagaratnam 1, Laura Semenzato 2, Edouard-Pierre Baudouin 3, Joël Ankri 4, Alain Weill 2, Mahmoud Zureik 5

Objective: We aimed to describe the medications prescribed to people aged ≥90 years.

Design: A cohort study was performed using data from the year 2022.

Setting and participants: Using data from the French National Health Data System, people aged ≥90 years affiliated with the general insurance scheme were included.

Methods: Medications dispensed, polypharmacy (≥5 drugs), and hyperpolypharmacy (≥10 drugs) were described in the total population and according to sex, age group (90-94 years, 95-99 years, ≥100 years), and place of residence. All analyses were conducted by quarter because of the high mortality rate in this population.

Results: In total, 696,498 subjects were included in the study. Among them, 73.2% were women, 75.9% were aged 90-94 years, and 2.9% were ≥100 years. Treatment for hypertension was prescribed to 77%, 50.4% had cardiovascular disease, and 17.7% had dementia.
During the first quarter, 77.7% experienced polypharmacy.
The most prescribed drugs were

• antihypertensive medications (73.8%),
• analgesics (58.8%),
• antithrombotics (55.3%),
• vitamin D (51.1%), and
• psychotropics (42%).

There was a decrease in preventive drugs and an increase in symptom management drugs with increasing age. Subjects in nursing homes were more likely to take psychotropics and less likely to receive cardiovascular drugs. The results for the other quarters were similar.

Conclusions and implications: Our results suggest a progressive, but probably insufficient decrease in the prescription of certain medications with age and to a lesser extent, in nursing homes. The discontinuation of treatments should be discussed in the context of short life expectancy to avoid the harmful effects of polypharmacy.

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24+ VitaminDWiki pages have FRANCE or FRENCH in the title

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VitaminDWiki – Seniors contains:

433 items in Seniors

see also
Overview Seniors and Vitamin D
Muscles and Vitamin D - many studies 125+ items
Overview Fractures and Falls and Vitamin D

Falls and Fractures category listing has 259 items along with related searches

Overview Alzheimer's-Cognition and Vitamin D
Overview Cancer and vitamin D
Overview Influenza and vitamin D

Cancer - Prostate category listing has 103 items along with related searches

Overview Diabetes and vitamin D
Hearing Loss appears to be prevented and treated with vitamin D

Mortality category listing has 323 items along with related searches

Overview Osteoporosis and vitamin D
Restless Legs Syndrome - Vitamin D, Iron, etc. - many studies
Overview Rheumatoid Arthritis and vitamin D
Frailty and Vitamin D - many studies many studies
Nursing homes and Vitamin D - many studies
13 reasons why many seniors need more vitamin D (both dose and level) - July 2023 has:

1. Senior skin produces 4X less Vitamin D for the same sun intensity
2. Seniors have fewer vitamin D receptor genes as they age
   Receptors are needed to get Vitamin D in blood actually into the cells
3. Many other Vitamin D genes decrease with age
4. Since many gene activations are not detected by a blood test,
   more Vitamin D is often needed, especially by seniors
5. Seniors are indoors more than when they were younger
   not as agile, weaker muscles; frail, no longer enjoy hot temperatures
6. Seniors wear more clothing outdoors than when younger
   Seniors also are told to fear skin cancer & wrinkles
7. Seniors often take various drugs which end up reducing vitamin D
   Some reductions are not detected by a vitamin D test of the blood
   statins, chemotherapy, anti-depressants, blood pressure, beta-blockers, etc
8. Seniors often have one or more diseases that consume vitamin D
   osteoporosis, diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, ...
9. Seniors generally put on weight as they age - and a heavier body requires more vitamin D
10. Seniors often (40%) have fatty livers – which do not process vitamin D as well
11. Reduced stomach acid means less Magnesium is available to get vitamin D into the cells
12. Vitamin D is not as bioavailable in senior intestines
13. Seniors with poorly functioning kidneys do not process vitamin D as well
14. Glutathione (which increases Vitamin D getting to cells) decreases with age
       Seniors category has 433 items

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38+ VitaminDWiki pages have AGING in the title

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• How Not To Age book (diet, exercise, supplements) Dr. Greger - Dec 2023