Ayaka Matsumoto, RPh, Yoshihiro Yoshimura, MD, PhD, Sayuri Shimazu, RD, Fumihiko Nagano, RPT, Takahiro Bise, RPT, Yoshifumi Kido, OTR, Ai Shiraishi, DH, Takako Sunahara, Ns
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 13: 41-48, 2022
Objective: To investigate the association between
polypharmacy at discharge and nutritional intake, muscle
strength, and activities of daily living (ADL) among
older patients undergoing convalescent rehabilitation
after stroke.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved
hospitalized patients aged 65 or older who underwent
convalescent rehabilitation after stroke. Polypharmacy
was defined as the use of six or more medications.
Study outcomes included energy intake, protein
intake, handgrip strength (HG), and motor subscore of
Functional Independence Measure (FIM-motor) at
hospital discharge. Multiple linear regression analysis
was used to examine the association between
polypharmacy at discharge and outcomes.
Results: Of 361 eligible patients (mean [+-SD] age,
78.3+-7.7 years; 49.3% male), 62.9% had polypharmacy.
Multiple regression analysis revealed that polypharmacy
at discharge was negatively associated with energy intake
(B=-0.122, p=0.003), protein intake (B=-0.133, p=0.013), HG (B=-0.070, p=0.022), and FIM-motor score
(B=-0.069, p=0.031) at discharge.
Conclusion: The impact of polypharmacy should be
considered when designing nutritional management
strategies for rehabilitation patients to maximize
rehabilitation outcomes.
Key words: polypharmacy, rehabilitation pharmacotherapy, stroke, nutritional management