Praxis (Bern 1994). 2026 Feb;115(2):30-37. doi: 10.23785/PRAXIS.2026.02.002.
ABSTRACT
The proportion of elderly people with several diseases (multimorbidity), who need four or more drugs daily (polypharmacy), is stea-dily increasing. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of drugs in this patient population is limited, as they are often underrepresented or exclu-ded from clinical trials. Most guidelines focus on single diseases and only occasionally address the challenges of pharmacotherapy for older, multimorbid patients taking multiple drugs. A regular and structured evaluation of the medication is therefore essential. The decision-making process for further therapy should consider not only existing diagnoses, but also the individual situation and life goals of the patients. Reducing or discontinuing of drugs (deprescribing) may be appropriate in individual cases; however, undertreatment must be avoided.
PMID:41784519 | DOI:10.23785/PRAXIS.2026.02.002