Drug Survival, Safety, and Effectiveness of Biologics in Older Patients with Psoriasis: A Comparison with Younger Patients —A BioCAPTURE Registry Study
ConclusionsThis study in a substantial, well-defined, prospective cohort provides further support that the use of biologics in older patients seems well-tolerated and effective. Biologic discontinuation due to AEs did not occur more frequently in older patients. Older patients discontinued biologic treatment more often due to ineffectiveness, although no clear difference in PASI scores was observed. More real-world studies on physician- and patient-related factors in older patients are warranted. (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - July 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Pain Management in Older Adults with Chronic Wounds
AbstractOlder people often suffer from different types of ulcers, with the most prevalent being chronic leg ulcers (CLUs) and diabetic foot ulcers. There are major issues in the current medical approach because these ulcers are hard to heal, and, in the case of CLUs, very painful and with a high frequency of relapse. Older people complain of pain more frequently than young people, frequently due to a combination of painful chronic wounds with other comorbidities (e.g. arthritis, peripheral arterial disease, vertebrogenic pain syndrome). However, chronic pain appears to be managed better by older people because the pain sen...
Source: Drugs and Aging - July 13, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
An Updated Analysis of Psychotropic Medicine Utilisation in Older People in New Zealand from 2005 to 2019
ConclusionsThere was only a marginal increase in psychotropic medicines utilisation from 2005 to 2019 in older adults in New Zealand. There was a five-fold increase in the utilisation of antipsychotic medicines. Continued monitoring of psychotropic medicine utilisation will be of interest to understand the utilisation of antidepressants and antipsychotic medicines during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic year. (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - July 13, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Safety, Effectiveness, and Immunogenicity 6 Months After BNT162B2 mRNA Vaccine in Frail Nursing Home Residents
ConclusionThe BNT162B2 vaccine is well tolerated and effective in nursing home residents, independently of their clinical, functional, cognitive, or frailty characteristics. For the most part, immunogenicity has been maintained over time, regardless of comorbidity, functional status or frailty. (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - July 7, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
New Horizons in the Treatment of Age-Associated Obesity, Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis
AbstractThe rapid increase in both the lifespan and proportion of older adults in developed countries is accompanied by the dramatic growth of age-associated chronic diseases, including obesity, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis. Hence, prevention and treatment of age-associated chronic diseases has become increasingly urgent. The key to achieving this goal is a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying their pathophysiology, some aspects of which, despite extensive investigation, are still not fully understood. Aging, obesity, sarcopenia, and osteoporosis are characterized by the creation of a systemic, chronic, low-gr...
Source: Drugs and Aging - July 4, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Frailty and Potentially Inappropriate Prescribing in Older People with Polypharmacy: A Bi-Directional Relationship?
AbstractFrail older adults commonly experience multiple co-morbid illnesses and other risk factors for potentially inappropriate prescribing. However, determination of frailty varies depending on the frailty instrument used. Older people ’s degree of frailty often influences their care and treatment priorities. Research investigating the association between frailty and potentially inappropriate prescribing is hindered by a wide variety of frailty definitions and measurement tools. We undertook a narrative review of selected articl es of PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Articles were selected on the basis of relevance...
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 29, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
The Prevalence of Adverse Drug Reactions and Adverse Drug Events from Heart Failure Medications in Frail Older Adults: A Systematic Review
ConclusionThe potential harms from heart failure medications in frail older people are poorly studied and understood. Clinical trials and pharmacovigilance studies should include frailty as a covariate to inform medication optimisation for this vulnerable and growing population.RegistrationProspero registration number: CRD 42021253762.Graphical Abstract (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 28, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Pharmacotherapy for Spine-Related Pain in Older Adults
AbstractAs the population ages, spine-related pain is increasingly common in older adults. While medications play an important role in pain management, their use has limitations in geriatric patients due to reduced liver and renal function, comorbid medical problems, and polypharmacy. This review will assess the evidence basis for medications used for spine-related pain in older adults, with a focus on drug metabolism and adverse drug reactions. A PubMed/OVID search crossing common spine, neck, and back pain terms with key words for older adults and geriatrics was combined with common drug classes and common drug names and...
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 27, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Antihypertensive Drugs and Risk of Bone Fractures
AbstractAntihypertensive drugs are among the most documented regimens worldwide with an overall survival and cardioprotective benefit. However, there is evidence that they cause symptoms of orthostatic hypotension (i.e., dizziness and syncope) placing patients at risk for falls and fall-related injuries such as bone fractures. Moreover, it seems that they might impact bone metabolism and architecture impairing bone health. The aim of this review was to summarize the accumulative literature exploring any potential association between several antihypertensive medications including diuretics, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone sys...
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 27, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Psychotropic Drug Prescription in Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
ConclusionsFor all categories, usage of psychotropic drugs was higher than anticipated based on the forecast; this increase might be related to the worsening of emotional and behavioral disorders caused by the restrictive measures of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Incident Functional Limitations Among Community-Dwelling Adults Using Opioids: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using a Propensity Analysis with the Health and Retirement Study
ConclusionsCommunity-dwelling adults using opioid analgesics to manage pain may be at risk for incident ADL limitations. Middle-aged adults, compared with those older than 65 years of age, experienced the greatest odds for incident ADL and IADL limitations following opioid use. According to sensitivity analyses, our findings were robust to unmeasured confounding. (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 17, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Depression in Patients with Parkinson ’s Disease: Current Understanding of its Neurobiology and Implications for Treatment
AbstractDepression is one of the most frequent and burdensome non-motor symptoms in Parkinson ’s disease (PD), across all stages. Even when its severity is mild, PD depression has a great impact on quality of life for these patients and their caregivers. Accordingly, accurate diagnosis, supported by validated scales, identification of risk factors, and recognition of motor and non-motor sy mptoms comorbid to depression are critical to understanding the neurobiology of depression, which in turn determines the effectiveness of dopaminergic drugs, antidepressants and non-pharmacological interventions. Recent advances using ...
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 16, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Correction to: Scoping Review of Studies Evaluating Frailty and Its Association with Medication Harm
(Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 16, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Hypotension Under Antihypertensive Treatment and Incident Hospitalizations of Nursing Home Residents
ConclusionsThe low DBP ( ≤ 65 mm Hg) during the previous year was associated with incident hospitalization of nursing home residents after adjustment for several factors. These findings indicate that lower DBP may be a causative factor for incident hospitalization. We need further studies to explore whether a correction of diastolic hypotension may decrease the hospitalization risk in this vulnerable population. (Source: Drugs and Aging)
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 15, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
Aspiring to Reasonableness in Accelerated Approval: Anticipating and Avoiding the Next Aducanumab
AbstractThe US Food and Drug Administration ’s decisions about drug approval—though guided by science, as well as relevant statutes, regulations, and guidance documents—reflect normative judgments about how the agency should exercise its discretion. This is particularly true in the context of the “accelerated approval” pathway, wher e the agency must balance speeding to market drugs for patients with unmet needs before they have been proven to work and ensuring confidence about the benefits and risks of those drugs. A key challenge in evaluating normative judgments such as these is that reasonable people can disa...
Source: Drugs and Aging - June 13, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
