New link found between common medications and serious falls in older men
Falls causing injury are more than twice as likely in older men taking a particular group of commonly used medicines, say new research in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Many medicines prescribed for older people for bladder problems, depression, psychosis, insomnia, and respiratory problems, have anti-cholinergic effects, which means they affect the brain by blocking a chemical (acetylcholine) which is involved in passing messages between nerve cells. This can lead to side effects including blurred vision, increased heart rate, sedation and confusion.
Previous studies have shown an impact on cognitive function and mortality from taking multiple anti-cholinergic medicines.
The current study involved a team looking at if these medicines increased the risk of subsequent serious falls (causing injury) in people aged over 65 years in Ireland.
Using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, which recorded the medications the participants were taking and the number and type of falls they had experienced, the team found that serious falls were more than twice as likely in men taking medicines with potent anti-cholinergic activity, even after accounting for differences in health and other risk factors for falls. A greater use of such medicines increased the risk for these men further. Interestingly, there was no such association for women.
“Our findings indicate the importance for doctors, pharmacists and healthcare professionals to regularly review the appropriateness of medications taken by their older patients,” comments lead author Dr Kathryn Richardson. “It is however, important that people don’t stop taking any medications before speaking with their GP. It is not fully clear why the same link was not found in women and further research is needed to explore this and the reasons behind the findings in men.
“Experiencing a fall can have a devastating impact on older people’s lives and is a major contributor to care home admission and hospitalisation, so it is vitally important for us to find ways to reduce the risk of falls or their severity.”
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Image credit: Elliott Brown
