Dietary Supplement Use by Older Adults with Chronic Wounds

Nearly 70% of older adults in the U.S. report using ≥ 1 dietary supplements (DSs) daily. While DSs may have health benefits, there is risk for toxicity or harmful drug-supplement interactions if not taken correctly. Older adults with chronic wounds who use DSs are at increased risk of adverse drug-supplement interactions because they usually have comorbidities requiring polypharmacy management. However, no studies have evaluated DS use in this population.

The aim of this study was to describe DS use in a sample of older adults (n=40) with chronic venous leg ulcers and relate the findings to data from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). All participants completed an electronic questionnaire about DS use. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the data. Twenty-five of the 40 participants (62.5%) reported taking ≥ 1 DS daily. On average, DS users were 65.16 years (SD=8.51) and the majority were men (64.0%), white (68.0%), and had at least some college education (72.0%). Fifteen (60.0%) reported taking 1–2 DSs/day, and 10 (40.0%) reported taking ≥ 3/day.

The most frequently reported DSs used were multivitamin or mineral supplements (48.0%), vitamin D (32.0%), and vitamin B complex (28.0%). Reasons for using DSs were to maintain or improve health (44.0%), improve bone density (12%), and boost the immune system (12%). Supplement users reported consuming an average of 9.12 (SD=6.46) prescription drugs daily and 21 (84.0%) reported ≥ 3 chronic health conditions. In summary, DS use in this sample of chronic wound patients was high. Moreover, DS users reported using multiple prescription drugs (2–23/day) concomitantly with DSs.

These findings are similar to the NHANES findings. While older adults with chronic wounds may benefit from targeted DS therapy, monitoring their DS use to reduce risk for adverse drug-supplement interactions is best practice.