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Adverse events of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in older adults with depression, a systematic review of the literature
Author(s) -
Overvliet Geke M.,
Jansen Rebecca A. C.,
van Balkom Anton J. L. M.,
van Campen Dilene C.,
Oudega Mardien L.,
van der Werf Ysbrand D.,
van Exel Eric,
van den Heuvel Odile A.,
Dols Annemiek
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.5440
Subject(s) - transcranial magnetic stimulation , depression (economics) , psycinfo , adverse effect , medicine , observational study , suicidal ideation , psychiatry , late life depression , medline , psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , poison control , injury prevention , cognition , stimulation , emergency medicine , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
Objective In the last decade, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been introduced as a non‐invasive neuromodulation therapy for depression. Little is known, however, about (serious) adverse events (AE) of rTMS in older adults with a depression. In this article, we want to study what is known about (serious) AE of rTMS in older adults (>60 years) with late‐life depression (LLD). Methods A systematic search has been performed according to the PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, EMBase and PsycInfo. We have screened 622 articles for eligibility. Eleven studies, evaluating 353 patients in total, were included in this review. Results AE were reported in 12.4% of the older adults with a LLD treated with rTMS, serious AE in 1.5%. Headache (6.9%) and discomfort at the stimulation site (2.7%) are the most commonly reported AE. Serious AE reported are: psychiatric hospitalization (three times), a combination of posterior vitreous detachment and retinal tear, and increased suicide ideation (both once). Conclusions rTMS in older adults with LLD was concluded overall to be safe due to the low frequency of AE reported in trials and observational studies. In case‐reports, however, more serious AE have been described. To tailor use of rTMS in older adults with LLD, more research is needed in larger samples to optimize tolerance.