Mortality risk in current and new antipsychotic Alzheimer's disease users: Large scale Japanese study.
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.



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).



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).



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.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: heii@juntendo.ac.jp.
Heii
H
Arai
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Kagawa, Japan.
Yu
Y
Nakamura
Ohgaki Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Masamoto
M
Taguchi
School of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.
Hiroyuki
H
Kobayashi
Graduate School of Health Management, Keio University, Kanagawa, Japan.
Keita
K
Yamauchi
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
Lon S
LS
Schneider
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents
Alzheimer's disease; Antipsychotics; Dementia; Mortality risk; Prospective cohort study