Association of Korean Medicine and polypharmacy with fall risk and mortality in older adults with stroke

In older adults with stroke and polypharmacy, KM may improve functional recovery and mobility, potentially increasing falls if balance training is inadequate, yet simultaneously confer survival advantages-perhaps through neuro-immune or systemic effects-irrespective of medication load. Among the more frail hyper-polypharmacy group, KM reduced mortality without altering falls, suggesting that functional gains and competing-risk dynamics differ by medication intensity. Prospective studies with granular functional measures, drug-drug interaction data, and formal competing-risk models are needed to optimize the safe integration of KM into comprehensive stroke care.