title: Prevalence of statin-drug interactions in older people: a systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Statins are among the most frequently prescribed medications internationally. Older people are commonly prescribed multiple medications and are at an increased risk of drug-drug interactions, including statin-drug interactions. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of current evidence on the prevalence of statin-drug interactions in older people.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic search of observational studies in Embase, Medline, and PubMed was conducted. Articles were included if they were published in English during the period July 2000-July 2014 and reported on the prevalence of statin-drug interactions in people over 65 years of age. Two reviewers independently assessed the articles for eligibility and extracted the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The search returned 1556 eligible articles. A total of 19 articles met the inclusion criteria. In studies (n = 7) that focused on statin users only, the prevalence of potential statin-drug interactions assessed using different measures ranged from 0.19 to 33.0 %. In studies that examined drug interactions across a population of both statin users and non-users (n = 12), the prevalence of potential statin-drug interactions ranged from 0.1 to 7.1 % (n = 8), and the prevalence of clinically relevant statin-drug interactions ranged from 1.5 to 4 % (n = 4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current published evidence suggests substantial variations in the prevalence of statin-drug interactions and their clinical relevance. Further studies are necessary to provide a better understanding of the prevalence of clinically significant statin-drug interactions, the medications most frequently contributing to statin-drug interactions, and impact on relevant clinical outcomes in older people.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.affiliation: Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Level 12 Kolling Building, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia.|Centre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Level 1, AGSM Building (G27), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reeve
authors.affiliation: Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Level 12 Kolling Building, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Hilmer
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia.|School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.|Centre for Big Data Research in Health, UNSW Australia, Level 1, AGSM Building (G27), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Sallie-Anne
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Pharmacy and Bank Building A15, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. danijela.gnjidic@sydney.edu.au.|Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. danijela.gnjidic@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Danijela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gnjidic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
keywords: Drug-drug interactions; Older people; Prevalence; Statins