Psychotropic medications and risk for falls among community-dwelling frail older people: an observational study.
BACKGROUND
Injuries due to falls are one of the most important public health concerns for all ages, but especially for frail elderly people. Although a small number of falls have a single cause, the majority have many different causes resulting from the interactions between intrinsic or extrinsic risk factors.


METHODS
We conducted an observational study on data from a large population of community-dwelling elderly people to tests the hypothesis that the current use of different classes of psychotropic medications, including antipsychotic agents, benzodiazepines, nonbenzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics, and antidepressants, increases the risk for falls. We analyzed data from a large collaborative observational study group, the Italian Silver Network Home Care project, that collected data on patients admitted to home care programs (n = 2854).


RESULTS
After adjusting for all potential confounders, users of any psychotropic drugs had an increased risk of fall of nearly 47% (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-1.74). Similarly, compared with nonusers, users of atypical antipsychotic drugs also had an increased risk of falling at least once (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.00-2.11). Among benzodiazepine users, patients taking agents with long elimination half-life (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.00-2.19) and patients taking benzodiazepines with short elimination half-life (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.02-1.72) had an increased risk of falls. Patients taking antidepressants did not show a higher risk of falling compared to nonusers (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.83-1.41).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that, among psychotropic medications, antipsychotic agents and benzodiazepines are associated with an increased risk of falls. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that preferential prescribing of short-acting benzodiazepines instead of long-acting agents or atypical antipsychotic medications instead of typical agents will substantially decrease fall risk associated with the use of these classes of drugs.
Department of Gerontology-Geriatrics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. francesco_landi@rm.unicatt.it
Francesco
F
Landi
Graziano
G
Onder
Matteo
M
Cesari
Christian
C
Barillaro
Andrea
A
Russo
Roberto
R
Bernabei
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate
D011619:Psychotropic Drugs