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Objective: To estimate the prevalence and the type of antidepressant medication prescribed by German psychiatrists to patients with depression and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Methods: This study was a retrospective database analysis in Germany using the Disease Analyzer Database (IMS Health, Germany). The study population included 2,288 CVD patients between 40 and 90 years of age from 175 psychiatric practices. The observation period was between 2004 and 2013. Follow-up lasted up to 12 months and ended in April 2015. Also included were 2,288 non-CVD controls matched (1 : 1) to CVD cases on the basis of age, gender, health insurance coverage, depression severity, and diagnosing physician. Results: Mean age was 68.6 years. 46.2% of patients were men, and 5.9% had private health insurance coverage. Mild, moderate, or severe depression was present in 18.7%, 60.7%, and 20.6% of patients, respectively. Most patients had treatment within a year, many of them immediately after depression diagnosis. Patients with moderate and severe depression were more likely to receive treatment than patients with mild depression. There was no difference between CVD and non-CVD in the proportion of patients treated. Nonetheless, CVD patients received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors / serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs/SNRIs) significantly more frequently. Conversely, patients without CVD were more often treated with TCA. Conclusion: There was no association between CVD and the initiation of depression treatment. Furthermore, CVD patients received SSRIs/SNRIs more frequently.
Background: Dementia is a psychiatric condition the development of which is associated with numerous aspects of life. Our aim was to estimate dementia risk factors in German primary care patients.
Methods: The case-control study included primary care patients (70-90 years) with first diagnosis of dementia (all-cause) during the index period (01/2010-12/2014) (Disease Analyzer, Germany), and controls without dementia matched (1:1) to cases on the basis of age, sex, type of health insurance, and physician. Practice visit records were used to verify that there had been 10 years of continuous follow-up prior to the index date. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted with dementia as a dependent variable and the potential predictors.
Conclusions: Risk factors for dementia found in this study are consistent with the literature. Nevertheless, the associations between statin, PPI and antihypertensive drug use, and decreased risk of dementia need further investigations.
Background: Dementia is a psychiatric condition the development of which is associated with numerous aspects of life. Our aim was to estimate dementia risk factors in German primary care patients.
Methods: The case-control study included primary care patients (70-90 years) with first diagnosis of dementia (all-cause) during the index period (01/2010-12/2014) (Disease Analyzer, Germany), and controls without dementia matched (1:1) to cases on the basis of age, sex, type of health insurance, and physician. Practice visit records were used to verify that there had been 10 years of continuous follow-up prior to the index date. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted with dementia as a dependent variable and the potential predictors.
Results: The mean age for the 11,956 cases and the 11,956 controls was 80.4 (SD: 5.3) years. 39.0% of them were male and 1.9% had private health insurance. In the multivariate regression model, the following variables were linked to a significant extent with an increased risk of dementia: diabetes (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.10-1.24), lipid metabolism (1.07; 1.00-1.14), stroke incl. TIA (1.68; 1.57-1.80), Parkinson's disease (PD) (1.89; 1.64-2.19), intracranial injury (1.30; 1.00-1.70), coronary heart disease (1.06; 1.00-1.13), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (2.12; 1.82-2.48), mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use (1.96; 1.50-2.57). The use of statins (OR: 0.94; 0.90-0.99), proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) (0.93; 0.90-0.97), and antihypertensive drugs (0.96, 0.94-0.99) were associated with a decreased risk of developing dementia.
Conclusions: Risk factors for dementia found in this study are consistent with the literature. Nevertheless, the associations between statin, PPI and antihypertensive drug use, and decreased risk of dementia need further investigations.
Objective: To estimate the prevalence and type of antidepressant medication prescribed by German primary care physicians for patients with depression and osteoporosis. Methods: This study was a retrospective database analysis conducted in Germany utilizing the Disease Analyzer (R) Database (IMS Health, Germany). The study population included 3,488 female osteoporosis patients aged between 40 and 90 years recruited from 1,179 general practitioner practices and who were initially diagnosed with depression during the index period (January 2004 to December 2013). Follow-up lasted up to 12 months and was completed in August 2015. Also included in this study were 3,488 nonosteoporosis controls who were matched (1 : 1) to osteoporosis cases on the basis of age, health insurance coverage, severity of depression, and physician carrying out the diagnosis. Results: After 12 months of followup, 30.1% of osteoporosis and 29.9% of nonosteoporosis patients with mild depression (p = 0.783), 52.4% of osteoporosis and 48.0% of non-osteoporosis patients with moderate depression (p = 0.003), and 39.4% of osteoporosis and 35.1% of nonosteoporosis patients with severe depression (p = 0.147) were being treated with antidepressants. Osteoporosis patients with moderate depression had a higher chance of being prescribed antidepressant therapy at the initial diagnosis (hazard ratio (HR): 1.12, p = 0.014). No differences were found between osteoporosis and nonosteoporosis patients regarding the proportion of patients receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI)/serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), or other antidepressants. Osteoporosis patients were more often referred to hospitals or psychiatrists for consultation. Conclusion: Osteoporosis patients are more often treated initially with antidepressants than non-osteoporosis patients, especially within the groups of patients with moderate or severe depression. TCA was the most frequently used antidepressant therapy class on initial diagnosis in both patient groups. Osteo-porosis patients receive referrals to hospitals or psychiatrists more often than patients without osteoporosis.
Background/Aims: To analyze the duration of treatment with antipsychotics in German dementia patients. Methods: This study included patients aged 60 years and over with dementia who received a first-time antipsychotic prescription by psychiatrists between 2009 and 2013. The main outcome measure was the treatment rate for more than 6 months following the index date. Results: A total of 12,979 patients with dementia (mean age 82 years, 52.1% living in nursing homes) were included. After 2 years of follow-up, 54.8%, 57.2%, 61.1%, and 65.4% of patients aged 60 - 69, 70 - 79, 80 - 89, and 90 - 99 years, respectively, received antipsychotic prescriptions. 63.9% of subjects living in nursing homes and 55.0% of subjects living at home also continued their treatment (p-value < 0.001). Conclusion: The percentage of dementia patients treated with anti psychotics is very high.
Persistence with antidepressant drugs in patients with dementia: a retrospective database analysis
(2016)
Background: The aims of the present study are to determine what proportion of patients with dementia receives antidepressants, how long the treatment is administered, and what factors increase the risk of discontinuation. Methods: The study was based on Disease Analyzer database and included 1,203 general practitioners (GP) and 209 neurologists/psychiatrists (NP). 12,281 patients with a diagnosis of dementia and an initial prescription of an antidepressant drug between January 2004 and December 2013 were included. The main outcome measure was antidepressant discontinuation rates within 6 months of the index date. Results: After 6 months of follow-up, 52.7% of dementia patients treated with antidepressants had stopped medication intake. There was a significantly decreased risk for treatment discontinuation for patients using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs) compared to tricyclic antidepressants. There was a significantly increased risk of treatment discontinuation for older patients and patients treated in NP practice. Comorbidity of diabetes or history of stroke was associated with a decreased risk of treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: The study results show insufficient persistence in antidepressant treatment in dementia patients in a real world setting. The improvement must be achieved to ensure the treatment recommended in the guidelines.
Background: The patterns of benzodiazepine prescriptions in older adults are of general and scientific interest as they are not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the prescription patterns of benzodiazepines in elderly people in Germany to determine the share or proportion treated by general practitioners (GP) and neuropsychiatrists (NP). Methods: This study included 31,268 and 6,603 patients between the ages of 65 and 100 with at least one benzodiazepine prescription in 2014 from GP and NP, respectively. Demographic data included age, gender, and type of health insurance coverage. The share of elderly people with benzodiazepine prescriptions was estimated in different age and disease groups for both GP and NP patients. The share of the six most commonly prescribed drugs was also calculated for each type of practice. Results: The share of people taking benzodiazepines prescribed by GP increased from 3.2% in patients aged between 65 and 69 years to 8.6% in patients aged between 90 and 100 years, whereas this share increased from 5.4% to 7.1% in those seen by NP. Benzodiazepines were frequently used by patients suffering from sleep disorders (GP: 33.9%; NP: 5.5%), depression (GP: 17.9%; NP: 29.8%), and anxiety disorders (GP: 14.5%; NP: 22.8%). Lorazepam (30.3%), oxazepam (24.7%), and bromazepam (24.3%) were the three most commonly prescribed drugs for GP patients. In contrast, lorazepam (60.4%), diazepam (14.8%), and oxazepam (11.2%) were those more frequently prescribed to NP patients. Conclusion: Prescription patterns of benzodiazepine in the elderly varied widely between GP and NP.
Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of long-term benzodiazepine use in older adults treated in general and neuropsychiatric practices in Germany. Methods: This study included 32,182 patients over the age of 65 years who received benzodiazepine prescriptions for the first time between January 2010 and December 2014 in general and neuropsychiatric practices in Germany. Follow up lasted until July 2016. The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients treated with benzodiazepines for >6 months. Results: The proportion of patients with benzodiazepine therapy for >6 months increased with age (65-70 years: 12.3%; 71-80 years: 15.5%; 81-90 years: 23.7%; >90 years: 31.6%) but did not differ significantly between men (15.5%) and women (17.1%). The proportion of patients who received benzodiazepines for >6 months was higher among those with sleep disorders (21.1%), depression (20.8%) and dementia (32.1%) than among those with anxiety (15.5%). By contrast, this proportion was lower among people diagnosed with adjustment disorders (7.7%) and back pain (3.8%). Conclusion: Overall, long-term use of benzodiazepines is common in older people, particularly in patients over the age of 80 and in those diagnosed with dementia, sleep disorders, or depression.
The aim was to analyze the risk of hip fracture in German primary care patients with dementia. This study included patients aged 65-90 from 1072 primary care practices who were first diagnosed with dementia between 2010 and 2013. Controls were matched (1:1) to cases for age, sex, and type of health insurance. The primary outcome was the diagnosis of hip fracture during the three-year follow-up period. A total of 53,156 dementia patients and 53,156 controls were included. A total of 5.3% of patients and 0.7% of controls displayed hip fracture after three years. Hip fracture occurred more frequently in dementia subjects living in nursing homes than in those living at home (9.2% versus 4.3%). Dementia, residence in nursing homes, and osteoporosis were risk factors for fracture development. Antidementia, antipsychotic, and antidepressant drugs generally had no significant impact on hip fracture risk when prescribed for less than six months. Dementia increased hip fracture risk in German primary care practices.
The aim was to analyze the risk of hip fracture in German primary care patients with dementia. This study included patients aged 65-90 from 1072 primary care practices who were first diagnosed with dementia between 2010 and 2013. Controls were matched (1:1) to cases for age, sex, and type of health insurance. The primary outcome was the diagnosis of hip fracture during the three-year follow-up period. A total of 53,156 dementia patients and 53,156 controls were included. A total of 5.3% of patients and 0.7% of controls displayed hip fracture after three years. Hip fracture occurred more frequently in dementia subjects living in nursing homes than in those living at home (9.2% versus 4.3%). Dementia, residence in nursing homes, and osteoporosis were risk factors for fracture development. Antidementia, antipsychotic, and antidepressant drugs generally had no significant impact on hip fracture risk when prescribed for less than six months. Dementia increased hip fracture risk in German primary care practices.