Prescription of potentially inappropriate medications among older people with intellectual disability: a register study
Axmon, Anna LU
; Sandberg, Magnus
LU
; Ahlström, Gerd
LU
and Midlöv, Patrik
LU
(2017)
In BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology
18(1).
- Abstract
BACKGROUND: Older people have a greater disease burden and are more likely than younger to be prescribed medications. They are also more sensitive to adverse effects. With this in mind, a range of medications have been suggested inappropriate in this population. People with intellectual disability (ID) have a higher disease burden than the general population, putting them at even greater risk of prescription of such medications. The aim of this study was to describe prescription of potentially inappropriate medications among older people with ID in relation to prescriptions among their age peers in the general population.
METHODS: We established an administrative cohort of people with ID (ID cohort; n = 7936), using a Swedish... (More)
BACKGROUND: Older people have a greater disease burden and are more likely than younger to be prescribed medications. They are also more sensitive to adverse effects. With this in mind, a range of medications have been suggested inappropriate in this population. People with intellectual disability (ID) have a higher disease burden than the general population, putting them at even greater risk of prescription of such medications. The aim of this study was to describe prescription of potentially inappropriate medications among older people with ID in relation to prescriptions among their age peers in the general population.
METHODS: We established an administrative cohort of people with ID (ID cohort; n = 7936), using a Swedish national register. A referent cohort from the general population (gPop) was matched one-to-one by sex and year of birth. Data regarding prescription of potentially inappropriate medications were collected from the Swedish prescribed drug register for the years 2006-2012.
RESULTS: People with ID were more likely than the general population to be prescribed medications with anticholinergic effects, intermediate- or long-acting benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics at least once during the study period, and also had more number of years with prescription. Except for benzodiazepines, those in the ID cohort with at least one prescription had larger amounts prescribed than those in the gPop cohort. People in the ID cohort were less likely than the general population to be prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Among those with at least one prescription of NSAIDs, those in the ID cohort had prescriptions during fewer years and in lower amounts than those in the gPop cohort.
CONCLUSIONS: Although prescription of potentially inappropriate medications overall is more common among people with ID than in the general population, the opposite pattern is found for medications for pain management. This may be a result of pain being under-recognized and under-treated in this population. Thus, there is a need for training as well as increased knowledge and awareness among care and health care professionals regarding signs of adverse effects and the need of continuous evaluation of treatment in this vulnerable group.
(Less)
- author
- Axmon, Anna
LU
; Sandberg, Magnus
LU
; Ahlström, Gerd
LU
and Midlöv, Patrik
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2017-10-25
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Journal Article
- in
- BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology
- volume
- 18
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 68
- publisher
- BioMed Central (BMC)
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:29070067
- scopus:85032195575
- wos:000413690100001
- ISSN
- 2050-6511
- DOI
- 10.1186/s40360-017-0174-1
- project
- Ageing persons with intellectual disability, health and mortality, healthcare utilization and social welfare: a Swedish national longitudinal population study
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 52d9d814-ad06-44b2-97a4-fe439e54b520
- date added to LUP
- 2017-11-04 12:23:55
- date last changed
- 2024-06-25 07:24:26
@article{52d9d814-ad06-44b2-97a4-fe439e54b520,
abstract = {{<p>BACKGROUND: Older people have a greater disease burden and are more likely than younger to be prescribed medications. They are also more sensitive to adverse effects. With this in mind, a range of medications have been suggested inappropriate in this population. People with intellectual disability (ID) have a higher disease burden than the general population, putting them at even greater risk of prescription of such medications. The aim of this study was to describe prescription of potentially inappropriate medications among older people with ID in relation to prescriptions among their age peers in the general population.</p><p>METHODS: We established an administrative cohort of people with ID (ID cohort; n = 7936), using a Swedish national register. A referent cohort from the general population (gPop) was matched one-to-one by sex and year of birth. Data regarding prescription of potentially inappropriate medications were collected from the Swedish prescribed drug register for the years 2006-2012.</p><p>RESULTS: People with ID were more likely than the general population to be prescribed medications with anticholinergic effects, intermediate- or long-acting benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics at least once during the study period, and also had more number of years with prescription. Except for benzodiazepines, those in the ID cohort with at least one prescription had larger amounts prescribed than those in the gPop cohort. People in the ID cohort were less likely than the general population to be prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Among those with at least one prescription of NSAIDs, those in the ID cohort had prescriptions during fewer years and in lower amounts than those in the gPop cohort.</p><p>CONCLUSIONS: Although prescription of potentially inappropriate medications overall is more common among people with ID than in the general population, the opposite pattern is found for medications for pain management. This may be a result of pain being under-recognized and under-treated in this population. Thus, there is a need for training as well as increased knowledge and awareness among care and health care professionals regarding signs of adverse effects and the need of continuous evaluation of treatment in this vulnerable group.</p>}},
author = {{Axmon, Anna and Sandberg, Magnus and Ahlström, Gerd and Midlöv, Patrik}},
issn = {{2050-6511}},
keywords = {{Journal Article}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{10}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
series = {{BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology}},
title = {{Prescription of potentially inappropriate medications among older people with intellectual disability: a register study}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40360-017-0174-1}},
doi = {{10.1186/s40360-017-0174-1}},
volume = {{18}},
year = {{2017}},
}