- Atypical antipsychotic use and parkinsonism in dementia: effects of drug, dose, and sex. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence that the risk of drug-induced parkinsonism in older adults with dementia was different among quetiapine, olanzapine, or risperidone, challenging the notion that the drugs differed in their propensity to cause parkinsonism. Men appeared to be at higher risk of parkinsonism as a adverse event than women.
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- Use of rivastigmine or galantamine and risk of adverse cardiac events: a database study from the Netherlands. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ChEIs might increase the risk of adverse cardiac events, but small numbers of cases limit conclusions about the risk in this population and research on larger study samples is needed.
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- Use of warfarin therapy among residents who developed venous thromboembolism in the nursing home. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Patients in specific geographic regions who were underweight, had Alzheimer's disease/dementia or cancer, or had independent physical functioning were less likely to receive warfarin. Nonpersistence of warfarin therapy was strongly related to antipsychotic use, presence of dementia, or PVD.
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- Warfarin-antibiotic interactions in older adults of an outpatient anticoagulation clinic. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: In older patients on stable warfarin therapy, antibiotics may lead to an increase in INR. However, this may not result in clinically significant outcomes of bleeding or hospitalization, suggesting that antibiotics may be prescribed for older adults taking warfarin as long as their INR is being routinely monitored.
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- Effect of combination fluticasone propionate and salmeterol or inhaled corticosteroids on asthma-related outcomes in a Medicare-eligible population. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: In Medicare-eligible asthma patients, FSC use was associated with lower rates of asthma-related serious exacerbations compared with ICS.
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- Dementia and risk of adverse warfarin-related events in the nursing home setting. [Randomized Controlled Trial]
- CONCLUSIONS: A diagnosis of dementia was associated with increased risk of nonpreventable and preventable or potential AWEs. Greater nursing staff time was associated with lower risk of preventable AWEs. These findings have implications for quality-of-care reporting and patient safety.
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- The effect of statins on acute and long-term outcome after ischemic stroke in the elderly. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Significantly better survival and functional outcome were noted with poststroke statins at the end of the 12-month follow-up period. Statins seem to provide beneficial effects for the long-term functional outcome and survival in the elderly.
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- Racial and ethnic disparities in Alzheimer's disease pharmacotherapy exposure: an analysis across four state Medicaid populations. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in AD pharmacotherapy exposure among minority populations are just as prevalent, if not of greater magnitude, than minority/white disparities.
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- Adverse effects of analgesics commonly used by older adults with osteoarthritis: focus on non-opioid and opioid analgesics. [Review]
- CONCLUSIONS: Acetaminophen is the mainstay frontline analgesic for treating OA-related pain in older adults. NSAIDs should be limited to short-term use only, and for moderate to severe OA-related pain, opioids may be preferable in individuals without substance abuse or dependence issues.
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- Caregiver assistance among Medicare beneficiaries with atrial fibrillation and factors associated with anticoagulant treatment. [Journal Article]Am J Geriatr Pharmacother. 2012 Oct; 10(5):273-83.AJ
- CONCLUSIONS: In a Medicare population, a greater need for caregiver assistance was observed in patients with AF. Subgroups characterized by frailty or inability for self-care were identified as being less likely to receive anticoagulant therapy. The need for caregiver assistance among patients with AF, as well as the patient subgroups identified as less likely to receive anticoagulant therapy, should be considered when making treatment decisions.
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- Medication discrepancy and potentially inappropriate medication in older Chinese-American home-care patients after hospital discharge. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: The evident prevalence of PIMs and MDs supports the practice of evaluating the appropriateness of medications while reconciling inconsistencies in medication regimens. The number of medications was the only factor associated with both PIMs and MDs, underscoring the need to address polypharmacy as a multifaceted threat to patient health.
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- The effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on cognition in patients with Alzheimer's dementia: a prospective withdrawal and rechallenge pilot study. [Controlled Clinical Trial]
- CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study found an improvement in cognition with discontinuation of statins and worsening with rechallenge. Statins may adversely affect cognition in patients with dementia.
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- Pharmacist- versus physician-initiated admission medication reconciliation: impact on adverse drug events. [Controlled Clinical Trial]
- CONCLUSIONS: MR performed by pharmacists versus physicians was more comprehensive and was followed by lower odds of ADEs from admission prescribing errors but with similar odds of all types of ADEs. Further research is warranted to examine how MR tasks may be optimally divided among clinicians and the mechanisms by which MR affects the likelihood of subsequent ADEs.
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- Anticholinergic drugs and functional outcomes in older patients undergoing orthopaedic rehabilitation. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Higher anticholinergic drug exposure on admission independently predicts reduced functional outcomes, but not length of stay, in older patients undergoing orthopaedic rehabilitation.
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- Looking beyond polypharmacy: quantification of medication regimen complexity in the elderly. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: The MRCI showed satisfactory validity and good evidence of classifying regimen complexity over a simple medication count. The MRCI demonstrated application in clinical research and practice in the elderly. However, more studies are needed to investigate its advantage over the number of medications for identifying patients with complex medication regimens and directing interventions to simplify their medication regimen complexity.
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