Inappropriate Prescriptions Are Common in Older Adults
The number of medications—including potentially inappropriate medications—prescribed to older adults increases annually, according to new findings.
Researchers arrived at this conclusion following a study of 2418 adults aged 65 years and older who were newly diagnosed with dementia between 2005 and 2015. Patient data were obtained from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. Adults with dementia were matched 1:1 with controls.
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Generalized estimating equation models were fitted, weighted for missingness, and adjusted for 15 patient characteristics.
Findings revealed that the number of medications and potentially inappropriate medications had increased annually among all participants, regardless of dementia status.
Among dementia patients, the number of medications reported during the year prior to diagnosis was 8% lower than during the diagnosis year and 11% higher during the first year following diagnosis.
Based on Beers Criteria, the researchers found the likelihood of exposure to potentially inappropriate medications to be 17% lower in the year prior to dementia diagnosis and 17% higher at 1 year post-diagnosis.
Among controls, the likelihood of exposure to potentially inappropriate medications was found to increase by 11% with each consecutive year. The odds of exposure to potentially inappropriate medications was ultimately lower among patients with dementia compared with controls.
However, no difference was observed between groups in regard to anticholinergic medication exposure.
With these findings in mind, the researchers emphasized in their conclusion that “persistent challenge of increasing PIM use in this group of older adults is of major concern, and warrants interventions to minimize such prescribing.”
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Gnjidic D, Agogo GO, Ramsey CM, Moga DC, Allore H. The impact of dementia diagnosis on patterns of potentially inappropriate medication use among older adults [Published online April 19, 2018]. J Gerontol. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly078
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