The Irish Times - Friday, February 24, 2012

DR MUIRIS HOUSTON

DRUGS USED to treat symptoms of dementia in older people in nursing homes have been linked to an increased risk of death, research published today suggests.

The largest study of nursing home residents in the US, carried out by researchers from Harvard University Medical School, has established the risk associated with individual anti-psychotic drugs. Some 75,500 nursing home residents over the age of 65 were studied over six months.

Almost half of deaths in those taking anti-psychotic medication were due to circulatory disorders, such as stroke and heart attack. Some 10 per cent of deaths were due to brain disorders, while 15 per cent were attributed to respiratory disorders.

After adjusting for age, sex and other physical illnesses that could raise the risk of mortality, the researchers report in the British Medical Journal that patients treated with the drug haloperidol had double the risk of death compared with those taking a more modern drug called risperidone.

The prescription of this class of drugs has diminished following warnings from drug regulatory authorities in recent years about its overuse.

A 2006 study carried out in the west of Ireland found that more than one in 10 residents of nursing homes and long-stay units for the elderly were receiving inappropriate medication to deal with the symptoms of dementia.

Anti-psychotic drugs, also known as major tranquillisers, are primarily used to treat schizophrenia, severe depression, bipolar disorder and other causes of psychotic behaviour. Using the drugs to treat restlessness, wandering and the intermittent aggression found in some patients with dementia is considered inappropriate.

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Risk found with drugs used for dementia