title: Change in psychotropic drug use among community-dwelling people aged 75 years and older in Finland: repeated cross-sectional population studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Older people are at high risk of experiencing psychotropic-related adverse drug events. The objective of this study was to compare and contrast the use of psychotropic drugs among community-dwelling people aged ≥ 75 years in 1998 and 2004.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparable random samples of people aged ≥ 75 years were extracted from the population register in Kuopio, Finland, in 1998 (n = 700) and 2003 (n = 1000). In 1998 and 2004, 523 and 700 community-dwelling people respectively participated in nurse interviews, during which demographic, diagnostic and drug use data were elicited. Logistic regression was used to compute unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the prevalence of psychotropic drug use in 2004 compared to 1998.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The unadjusted prevalence of total psychotropic (37.3% and 38.4%, OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.83-1.33), anxiolytic, hypnotic and sedative (29.6% and 31.3%, OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.85-1.38), and antidepressant (10.7% and 11.9%, OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.78-1.61) use were similar in 1998 and 2004. There was a decrease in the unadjusted prevalence of antipsychotic use (9.2% and 5.7%, OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.39-0.93). After adjusting for socioeconomic and health status differences, there was an increase in the prevalence of total psychotropic (adjusted OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.01-1.70) and antidepressant (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.06-2.40) use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The unadjusted prevalence of psychotropic drug use remained stable between 1998 and 2004. However, in adjusted analyses there was a small increase in the prevalence of any psychotropic drug use and antidepressant use specifically.
authors.affiliation: Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Franciska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Desplenter
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caenen
authors.forename: Jolein
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meelberghs
authors.forename: Sirpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartikainen
authors.forename: Raimo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sulkava
authors.forename: J Simon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs