| 1. |
- Sköldunger, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of Inappropriate Drug Use on Hospitalizations, Mortality, and Costs in Older Persons and Persons with Dementia : Findings from the SNAC Study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Drugs & Aging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1170-229X .- 1179-1969. ; 32:8, s. 671-678
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Inappropriate drug use (IDU) is an important risk factor for adverse outcomes in older persons. We aimed to investigate IDU and the risk of hospitalizations and mortality in older persons and in persons with dementia and to estimate the costs of IDU-related hospitalizations.Methods: We analyzed 4108 individuals aged a parts per thousand yen60 years from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care (SNAC) data from Kungsholmen and Nordanstig (2001-2004). IDU was assessed by indicators developed by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Hospitalizations and mortality data were collected from Swedish registers. Regression models were used to investigate associations between IDU, hospitalizations, and mortality in the whole population and in the subpopulation of persons with dementia (n = 319), after adjustment for sociodemographics, physical functioning, and co-morbidity. Costs for hospitalizations were derived from the Nord-Diagnose Related Group cost database. Results IDU was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.46; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.18-1.81] and mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.15; 95 % CI 1.01-1.31] within 1 year in the whole study population and with hospitalization (adjusted OR = 1.88; 95 % CI 1.03-3.43) in the subpopulation of persons with dementia, after adjustment for confounding factors. There was also a tendency for higher costs for hospitalizations with IDU than without IDU, although this was not statistically significant.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that IDU is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization in older persons and in persons with dementia. IDU is also associated with mortality among older persons. These findings highlight the need for cautious prescribing of long-acting benzodiazepines, anticholinergic drugs, concurrent use of three or more psychotropic drugs and drug combinations that may lead to serious drug-drug interactions to older patients. Further studies are needed to investigate the association between IDU and costs for hospitalizations.
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| 2. |
- Wastesson, Jonas W., 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Educational level and use of osteoporosis drugs in elderly men and women : a Swedish nationwide register-based study
- 2013
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Ingår i: Osteoporosis International. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0937-941X .- 1433-2965. ; 24:2, s. 433-442
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We examined educational disparities in use of osteoporosis drugs in a nationwide population of Swedes aged 75-89 years old. Individuals with high education were more likely to receive osteoporosis drug treatment than lower educated individuals, particularly among women. INTRODUCTION: This study aims to investigate whether educational level is associated with use of osteoporosis drugs in the general population of older men and women in Sweden, also after adjustment for fractures. METHODS: By record linkage of The Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, The Swedish Patient Register, and The Swedish Education Register, we obtained information on filling of prescriptions for osteoporosis drugs (bisphosphonates, calcium/vitamin D combinations, and selective estrogen receptor modulators) from July to October 2005, osteoporotic fractures from 1998 to 2004, and educational level for 645,429 people aged 75-89 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate whether education was associated with use of osteoporosis drug therapy. RESULTS: Higher education was associated with use of osteoporosis drugs for both men [odds ratio (OR)(high education vs low), 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19-1.35] and women (OR(high education vs low), 1.57; 95% CI, 1.52-1.61), after adjustment for age, osteoporotic fractures, and comorbidity (i.e., number of other drugs). Among those who had sustained a fracture (n = 57,613), the educational differences in osteoporosis drug treatment were more pronounced in women than men. Further, women were more likely to receive osteoporosis drug treatment after osteoporotic fracture. CONCLUSION: Uptake of osteoporosis drug therapy seems to be unequally distributed in the elderly population, even in a country with presumably equal access to health care.
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| 3. |
- Kelfve, Susanne, et al.
(författare)
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Is the level of education associated with transitions between care settings in older adults near the end of life? A nationwide, retrospective cohort study
- 2018
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Ingår i: Palliative Medicine. - : SAGE Publications. - 0269-2163 .- 1477-030X. ; 32:2, s. 366-375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: End-of-life transitions between care settings can be burdensome for older adults and their relatives. Aim: To analyze the association between the level of education of older adults and their likelihood to experience care transitions during the final months before death. Design: Nationwide, retrospective cohort study using register data. Setting/participants: Older adults (65 years) who died in Sweden in 2013 (n = 75,722). Place of death was the primary outcome. Institutionalization and multiple hospital admissions during the final months of life were defined as secondary outcomes. The decedents' level of education (primary, secondary, or tertiary education) was considered as the main exposure. Multivariable analyses were stratified by living arrangement and adjusted for sex, age at time of death, illness trajectory, and number of chronic diseases. Results: Among community-dwellers, older adults with tertiary education were more likely to die in hospitals than those with primary education (55.6% vs 49.9%; odds ratio (OR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.28), but less likely to be institutionalized during the final month before death (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.76-0.91). Decedents with higher education had greater odds of remaining hospitalized continuously during their final 2 weeks of life (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.22). Among older adults living in nursing homes, we found no association between the decedents' level of education and their likelihood to be hospitalized or to die in hospitals. Conclusion: Compared with those who completed only primary education, individuals with higher educational attainment were more likely to live at home until the end of life, but also more likely to be hospitalized and die in hospitals.
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| 4. |
- Lagerin, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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Extent and quality of drug use in community-dwelling people aged >= 75 years : A Swedish nationwide register-based study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 48:3, s. 308-315
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: It is important for district nurses and other health professionals in primary care to gain more insight into the patterns and quality of drug use in community-dwelling older people, particularly in 75-year-olds, who have been the target of preventive home visits. This study aimed to examine the extent and quality of drug use in community-dwelling older people and to compare drug use in 75-year-olds with that of older age groups. Methods: Data from 2013 on people aged >= 75 years were obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register. Those living in the community (671,940/739,734 people aged >= 75 years) were included in the study. Quality of drug use was assessed by using a selection of indicators issued by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Results: The prevalence of polypharmacy and of many drug groups increased with age, as did several indicators of inappropriate drug use. However some drug groups, as well as inappropriate drugs, were prevalent in 75-year-olds and declined with age, for example diabetes drugs, drugs with major anticholinergic effects and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Conclusions: The substantial use of some drugs as early as 75 years of age confirms the value of including drug use as a topic in preventive home visits to 75-year-olds. The finding that polypharmacy and many measures of inappropriate drug use increased with age in community-dwelling older people also underscores the importance of district nurses' role in continuing to promote safe medication management at higher ages.
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| 5. |
- Morin, Lucas, et al.
(författare)
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How many older adults receive drugs of questionable clinical benefit near the end of life? A cohort study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Palliative Medicine. - : SAGE Publications. - 0269-2163 .- 1477-030X. ; 33:8, s. 1080-1090
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The high burden of disease-oriented drugs among older adults with limited life expectancy raises important questions about the potential futility of care.Aim: To describe the use of drugs of questionable clinical benefit during the last 3 months of life of older adults who died from life-limiting conditions.Design: Longitudinal, retrospective cohort study of decedents. Death certificate data were linked to administrative and healthcare registries with national coverage in Sweden.Setting: Older adults (>= 75 years) who died from conditions potentially amenable to palliative care between 1 January and 31 December 2015 in Sweden. We identified drugs of questionable clinical benefit from a set of consensus-based criteria.Results: A total of 58,415 decedents were included (mean age, 87.0 years). During their last 3 months of life, they received on average 8.9 different drugs. Overall, 32.0% of older adults continued and 14.0% initiated at least one drug of questionable clinical benefit (e.g. statins, calcium supplements, vitamin D, bisphosphonates, antidementia drugs). These proportions were highest among younger individuals (i.e. aged 75-84 years), among people who died from organ failure and among those with a large number of coexisting chronic conditions. Excluding people who died from acute and potentially unpredictable fatal events had little influence on the results.Conclusion: A substantial share of older persons with life-limiting diseases receive drugs of questionable clinical benefit during their last months of life. Adequate training, guidance and resources are needed to rationalize and deprescribe drug treatments for older adults near the end of life.
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| 6. |
- Hoang, Minh Tuan, et al.
(författare)
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The Impact of Educational Attainment and Income on Long-Term Care for Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias : A Swedish Nationwide Study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. - : IOS Press. - 1387-2877 .- 1875-8908. ; 96:2, s. 789-800
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Long-term care improves independence and quality of life of persons with dementia (PWD). The influence of socioeconomic status on access to long-term care was understudied.Objective: To explore the socioeconomic disparity in long-term care for PWD.Methods: This registry-based study included 14,786 PWD, registered in the Swedish registry for cognitive and dementia disorders (2014-2016). Education and income, two traditional socioeconomic indicators, were the main exposure. Outcomes were any kind of long-term care, specific types of long-term care (home care, institutional care), and the monthly average hours of home care. The association between outcomes and socioeconomic status was examined with zero-inflated negative binomial regression and binary logistic regression.Results: PWD with compulsory education had lower likelihood of receiving any kind of long-term care (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68-0.93), or home care (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.97), compared to individuals with university degrees. Their monthly average hours of home care were 0.70 times (95% CI 0.59-0.82) lower than those of persons with university degrees. There was no significant association between education and the receipt of institutional care. Stratifying on persons with Alzheimer's disease showed significant association between lower education and any kind of long-term care, and between income and the hours of home care.Conclusions: Socioeconomic inequalities in long-term care existed in this study population. Lower-educated PWD were less likely to acquire general long-term care, home care and had lower hours of home care, compared to their higher-educated counterparts. Income was not significantly associated with the receipt of long-term care.
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| 7. |
- Tannenbaum, Cara, et al.
(författare)
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Managing Therapeutic Competition in Patients with Heart Failure, Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Incontinence
- 2014
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Ingår i: Drugs & Aging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1170-229X .- 1179-1969. ; 31:2, s. 93-101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Up to 50 % of heart failure patients suffer from lower urinary tract symptoms. Urinary incontinence has been associated with worse functional status in patients with heart failure, occurring three times more frequently in patients with New York Heart Association Class III and IV symptoms compared with those with milder disease. The association between heart failure and urinary symptoms may be directly attributable to worsening heart failure pathophysiology; however, medications used to treat heart failure may also indirectly provoke or exacerbate urinary symptoms. This type of drug-disease interaction, in which the treatment for heart failure precipitates incontinence, and removal of medications to relieve incontinence worsens heart failure, can be termed therapeutic competition. The mechanisms by which heart failure medication such as diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and beta-blockers aggravate lower urinary tract symptoms are discussed. Initiation of a prescribing cascade, whereby antimuscarinic agents or beta 3-agonists are added to treat symptoms of urinary urgency and incontinence, is best avoided. Recommendations and practical tips are provided that outline more judicious management of heart failure patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. Compelling strategies to improve urinary outcomes include titrating diuretics, switching ACE inhibitors, treating lower urinary tract infections, appropriate fluid management, daily weighing, and uptake of pelvic floor muscle exercises.
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| 8. |
- Johnell, Kristina, et al.
(författare)
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Psychotropic drugs and the risk of fall injuries, hospitalisations and mortality among older adults
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. - : Wiley. - 0885-6230 .- 1099-1166. ; 32:4, s. 414-420
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectiveTo investigate whether psychotropics are associated with an increased risk of fall injuries, hospitalizations, and mortality in a large general population of older adults.MethodsWe performed a nationwide matched (age, sex, and case event day) case–control study between 1 January and 31 December 2011 based on several Swedish registers (n = 1,288,875 persons aged ≥65 years). We used multivariate conditional logistic regression adjusted for education, number of inpatient days, Charlson co-morbidity index, dementia and number of other drugs.ResultsAntidepressants were the psychotropic most strongly related to fall injuries (ORadjusted: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.38–1.45) and antipsychotics to hospitalizations (ORadjusted: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.19–1.24) and death (ORadjusted: 2.10; 95% CI: 2.02–2.17). Number of psychotropics was associated with increased the risk of fall injuries, (4 psychotropics vs 0: ORadjusted: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.39–1.68), hospitalization (4 psychotropics vs 0: ORadjusted: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.22–1.33) and death (4 psychotropics vs 0: ORadjusted: 2.50; 95% CI: 2.33–2.69) in a dose–response manner. Among persons with dementia (n = 58,984), a dose–response relationship was found between number of psychotropics and mortality risk (4 psychotropics vs 0: ORadjusted: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.76–2.25).ConclusionsOur findings support a cautious prescribing of multiple psychotropic drugs to older patients. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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| 9. |
- Grande, Giulia, et al.
(författare)
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Drug Use in Older Adults with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Near the End of Life
- 2017
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Ingår i: Drugs & Aging. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1170-229X .- 1179-1969. ; 34:7, s. 529-533
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with its certain prognosis and swift progression, raises concerns regarding the adequacy of pharmacological treatment, including the risk-benefit profiles of prescribed drugs. Objective Our objective was to evaluate the use of prescription drugs over the course of the last year of life in older adults with ALS. Methods We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study of older adults who died with ALS in Sweden between 2007 and 2013. The primary outcome was the number of prescription drugs to which individuals were exposed during the last 12 months before death. Results The overall proportion of individuals receiving ten or more different prescription drugs increased from 19% at 12 months before death to 37% during the last month of life. Institutionalization was independently associated with polypharmacy near the end of life (odds ratio 1.84; 95% confidence interval 1.42-2.39). Conclusion Future research is needed to assess the time to benefit of treatments and to develop guidelines for medication discontinuation in advanced ALS.
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| 10. |
- Laflamme, Lucie, et al.
(författare)
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Type, Number or Both? : A Population-Based Matched Case-Control Study on the Risk of Fall Injuries among Older People and Number of Medications beyond Fall-Inducing Drugs
- 2015
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 10:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Drug use is a modifiable risk factor for fall-related injuries in older people. Whereas the injurious effect of polypharmacy is established, that of low numbers of medications has not been fully ascertained. Neither do we know whether it is the number per se or the type of medications that actually matters. We assessed this question for fall injuries leading to hospitalization. Design National register-based, population-based, matched case-control study. Setting Community dwellers aged 65+ years living in Sweden between March 2006 and December 2009. Methods Cases (n = 64,399) were identified in the national inpatient register and four controls per case were randomly matched by gender, date of birth and residential area. The association between number of prescribed medications, assessed through linkage with the Swedish prescribed drug register, and the risk of injurious falls was estimated with odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for demographic and health status. Results The number of medications was associated with an increased risk of fall injury in a dose-response fashion, even after adjustment for marital status, comorbidity and number of fall-risk-inducing drugs (FRIDs). Using ten or more medications was associated with an almost two-fold higher risk (adjusted OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.66 to 1.88). When stratified by use (or not) of at least one FRID, the association weakened slightly among both non-users (adjusted OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.67) and users (adjusted OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.58 to 1.77). Conclusion In older people, not only large but also small numbers of medications may affect the risk for them to sustain injurious falls. Although the mechanisms lying behind this are complex, the finding challenges the prevention strategies targeting either specific types of medications (FRIDs) or high numbers of them.
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