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Mortality risk in current and new antipsychotic Alzheimer's disease users: Large scale Japanese study
Author(s) -
Arai Heii,
Nakamura Yu,
Taguchi Masamoto,
Kobayashi Hiroyuki,
Yamauchi Keita,
Schneider Lon S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2016.03.006
Subject(s) - antipsychotic , medicine , odds ratio , prospective cohort study , disease , psychiatry , antipsychotic agent , cohort , cohort study , pediatrics , schizophrenia (object oriented programming)
We studied the mortality risk of long term and new antipsychotic drug use in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in Japan to determine improved treatment protocols. Methods This 24‐week prospective cohort study included 10,079 Japanese AD patients (female, 69%; average age, 81 years) under routine clinical care in 357 medical sites. The antipsychotic medication history was varied (63.7% were long‐term users). Mortality rates and odds ratio were analyzed (initial 10 weeks and from 11–24 weeks). Results The antipsychotic exposed group with shorter treatment periods had a higher mortality risk compared to controls. The newly prescribed users (antipsychotic treatment started during the follow‐up) showed increased mortality (9.4% during the 11–24 week period). Conclusions New use of antipsychotic drugs represents a distinct risk for mortality; those on long‐term antipsychotic therapy seem to be at less risk. The warning issued 10 years earlier on antipsychotics use for AD patients should be reviewed.