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Descriptor English: Polypharmacy
Descriptor Spanish: Polifarmacia
Descriptor polimedicación
Entry term(s) polifarmacia
Scope note: Empleo de múltiples medicamentos administrados al mismo paciente, sobre todo en pacientes ancianos. Comprende también la administración excesiva de medicamentos. Dado que en los Estados Unidos la mayoría de los medicamentos se dispensan como formulaciones de un solo principio activo, la polifarmacoterapia, aunque emplea muchos medicamentos administrados al mismo paciente, debe diferenciarse de las COMBINACIONES DE FÁRMACOS, preparaciones que contienen dos o más principios activos a dosis fija, y de la FARMACOTERAPIA COMBINADA, dos o más medicamentos administrados separadamente para lograr un efecto combinado. (Traducción libre del original: Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)
Descriptor Portuguese: Polimedicação
Descriptor French: Polypharmacie
Entry term(s): Polymedication
Tree number(s): E02.319.698
N02.421.380.450.188.500
N05.300.150.395.450.188.500
RDF Unique Identifier: https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D019338
Scope note: The use of multiple drugs administered to the same patient, most commonly seen in elderly patients. It includes also the administration of excessive medication. Since in the United States most drugs are dispensed as single-agent formulations, polypharmacy, though using many drugs administered to the same patient, must be differentiated from DRUG COMBINATIONS, single preparations containing two or more drugs as a fixed dose, and from DRUG THERAPY, COMBINATION, two or more drugs administered separately for a combined effect. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)
Annotation: note category: do not confuse with POLYPHARMACOLOGY, the design or use of drugs acting on multiple targets or pathways or with PHARMACOLOGY, the discipline or with DRUG COMBINATIONS or with POLYCHEMOTHERAPY see DRUG THERAPY, COMBINATION
Allowable Qualifiers: No qualifiers
Public MeSH Note: 97
History Note: 97
Entry Version: POLYPHARM
Related: Drug Antagonism MeSH
Drug Combinations MeSH
Drug Overdose MeSH
Drug Therapy, Combination MeSH
DeCS ID: 33105
Unique ID: D019338
Documents indexed in the Virtual Health Library (VHL): Click here to access the VHL documents
Date Established: 1997/01/01
Date of Entry: 1996/06/10
Revision Date: 2017/02/24
Polypharmacy - Preferred
Concept UI M0028787
Scope note The use of multiple drugs administered to the same patient, most commonly seen in elderly patients. It includes also the administration of excessive medication. Since in the United States most drugs are dispensed as single-agent formulations, polypharmacy, though using many drugs administered to the same patient, must be differentiated from DRUG COMBINATIONS, single preparations containing two or more drugs as a fixed dose, and from DRUG THERAPY, COMBINATION, two or more drugs administered separately for a combined effect. (From Segen, Dictionary of Modern Medicine, 1992)
Preferred term Polypharmacy
Entry term(s) Polymedication



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