Association between polypharmacy and dementia – A systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACTObjective: The association between polypharmacy and dementia is controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to summarize existing literature concerning the association between polypharmacy and dementia.Methods: A systematic literature review was performed by searching the EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus and International Pharmaceutical Abstract databases using terms related to polypharmacy and dementia. A meta-analysis was performed using random effect models.Results: Seven studies were included in this meta-analysis. The included studies were of medium to high quality with a potential for publication bias. A strong association between polypharmacy and dementia was found (pooled adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.30 (95% CI: 1.16–1.46), I2 = 68%). Excessive polypharmacy was also strongly associated with dementia (pooled aRR = 1.52 (95% CI: 1.39–1.67), I2 = 24%).Conclusion: Pooled risk estimates from this meta-analysis showed that polypharmacy was associated with dementia. Although the causality...