Tag Archives: Dementia

Study Suggests Mortality Risk is High for Dementia Patients taking Antipsychotics

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Research Folders Laptop Mean Investigation Gathering Data And AnFrom Psychiatric News Alert: Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System say that though antipsychotic medications are associated with increased mortality in older adults, little is known about such risk relative to no treatment or alternative psychotropic therapies.

Helen Kales, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Program for Positive Aging, and colleagues analyzed health records of more than 90,500 individuals aged 65 and older with dementia to access the risk for death in patients who received antipsychotics and those who did not. The researchers simplified the rate of risk for mortality by estimating how many elderly patients would have to be on a drug for one of them to die within six months, known as the “number needed to harm (NNH).”

The results, published this week in JAMA Psychiatry, showed that mortality risks statistically increased in patients taking antipsychotics to reduce symptoms of dementia, compared with individuals not being treated. Haloperidol was observed to be the riskiest—with one death per every 26 individuals taking the drug. Risperidone had a NNH of 27, followed by less risky olanzapine and quetiapine with NNHs of, respectively, 40 and 50. The researchers also observed the mortality risk for older adults with dementia who took antidepressants. The mortality risks were lower—with one person dying for every 166 individuals taking the medication.

“Our research indicates that antipsychotics may increase mortality more than previously realized. We hope this creates a dialogue about the advantages and disadvantages of antipsychotic and other psychotropic use as first-line treatment strategies for behavioral symptoms, which are universal and require effective treatments to address serious suffering among patients, families, and caregivers.”

Study Suggests That Seniors With Declining Memory Aren’t Visiting Physicians

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From Psychiatric News Alert: More than half of seniors–55 %–with dementia had no history of cognitive evaluations, reports a new study in Neurology led by researchers at the University of Michigan.

smiling senior woman and doctor with tablet pc

Good Physical Health can contribute to Good Mental Health. Image (c) Syda Productions | DPC

If these data were applied to the broader population, they suggest that around 1.8 million Americans over the age of 70 with dementia have not seen a physician about their memory problems, giving them no opportunity to receive interventions that may slow down their cognitive decline.

The study evaluated 856 seniors 70 and older, and identified 297 participants who met the criteria for dementia. Of those, only 45 percent had seen a physician about their memory problems. In addition, just 5 percent of seniors with mild memory and cognition problems had been tested by a physician for those issues, while 1 percent of seniors with normal memory had undergone cognitive testing.

The researchers tested various clinical and social predictors, and married status was the only demographic that increased the odds of getting a cognitive evaluation; race, income, and proximity of children did not influence cognitive testing.

The study authors said that this research does not answer the question of why seniors aren’t seeking help, but suggested that it likely involves a combination of factors involving physicians, patients, and the nature of our health care system. For example, the study data were collected before the initiation of Medicare’s free annual wellness exams for seniors, which may improve these discouraging numbers.