dc.contributor.author | Efjestad, Anne Sverdrup | |
dc.contributor.author | Ihle-Hansen, Hege | |
dc.contributor.author | Hjellvik, Vidar | |
dc.contributor.author | Engedal, Knut | |
dc.contributor.author | Blix, Hege Salvesen | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2022-07-15T06:33:13Z | |
dc.date.available | 2022-07-15T06:33:13Z | |
dc.date.created | 2022-03-21T10:06:12Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1663-9812 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3005640 | |
dc.description.abstract | Background: Drugs commonly prescribed for heart rate control may induce adverse drug reactions in Alzheimer patients treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs). We have studied use of drugs with a known risk of Torsades de pointes (TdP) and drugs used to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, as well as a combination of drugs with a known risk of TdP and drugs with a known heart rate-lowering effect, before and after initiating treatment with AChEIs. Methods: The study applied data from the Norwegian Prescription Database for the period 2004-2016. Prescriptions of concomitant use of drugs in persistent users of AChEIs was studied in a follow-up period from 4 years before to 2 years after AChEI initiation in men and women of two age groups: 37-80 and 81-88 years. Results: A small number of patients were prescribed haloperidol (∼1.5% The second year after AChEI initiation), digoxin/digitoxin (∼3%), and verapamil (∼1.3%), while a substantial proportion of the patients were prescribed betablockers (∼28%) and citalopram/escitalopram (∼17%). During follow-up, up to 6% of the study population were prescribed both betablockers and citalopram/citalopram in addition to AChEIs, a combination that increased over the follow-up period and was observed most frequently in women in the oldest age group. Conclusions: A large proportion (∼44%) of patients treated with AChEIs were prescribed drugs that could cause bradycardic and prolonged time from the start of the Q wave to the end of the T wave (QT interval). Thus, action should be taken to reduce the combination of drugs with risk of bradycardia and prolonged QT interval. Medication review on a regular basis could be an option as an important risk-reducing intervention. | |
dc.language.iso | eng | |
dc.title | Use of Drugs With Risk of Heart Rate-Related Problems is Common in Norwegian Dementia Patients Treated With Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors: A Prevalence Study Based on the Norwegian Prescription Database | |
dc.title.alternative | Use of Drugs With Risk of Heart Rate-Related Problems is Common in Norwegian Dementia Patients Treated With Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors: A Prevalence Study Based on the Norwegian Prescription Database | |
dc.type | Peer reviewed | |
dc.type | Journal article | |
dc.description.version | publishedVersion | |
dc.source.journal | Frontiers in Pharmacology | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.3389/fphar.2021.791578 | |
dc.identifier.cristin | 2011267 | |
cristin.ispublished | true | |
cristin.fulltext | original | |
cristin.qualitycode | 1 | |