biostudies-literatureUnknown13Cho HJBackground: Polypharmacy has become a global health problem and is associated with adverse health outcomes in the elderly. This study evaluated the prevalence of polypharmacy and hyper-polypharmacy in elderly patients in South Korea during 2010-2019. Methods: We analyzed the outpatient care of persons aged ≥65 years covered by National Health Insurance (NHI) using NHI claims data from 2010 to 2019. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥5 medications, and hyper-polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥10 medications, and we examined them over periods of ≥90 days and ≥180 days. The average annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated using Joinpoint statistical software. Results: The prevalence of polypharmacy among ≥90 days of medication use elderly decreased from 42.5%Frontiers in pharmacology866318https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9124766biostudies-literatureAging and the Prevalence of Polypharmacy and Hyper-Polypharmacy Among Older Adults in South Korea: A National Retrospective Study During 2010-2019.PMC9124766Yoon SHKim DSChae JCho HJfalseAging and the Prevalence of Polypharmacy and Hyper-Polypharmacy Among Older Adults in South Korea: A National Retrospective Study During 2010-2019.Background: Polypharmacy has become a global health problem and is associated with adverse health outcomes in the elderly. This study evaluated the prevalence of polypharmacy and hyper-polypharmacy in elderly patients in South Korea during 2010-2019. Methods: We analyzed the outpatient care of persons aged ≥65 years covered by National Health Insurance (NHI) using NHI claims data from 2010 to 2019. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥5 medications, and hyper-polypharmacy was defined as the use of ≥10 medications, and we examined them over periods of ≥90 days and ≥180 days. The average annual percent change (AAPC) was calculated using Joinpoint statistical software. Results: The prevalence of polypharmacy among ≥90 days of medication use elderly decreased from 42.5%2022-01-01T00:00:00Z20222025-04-22T11:57:26.08Z2025-02-18T23:19:45.297ZS-EPMC91247663561493810.3389/fphar.2022.866318