Cholinesterase inhibitor and memantine use in newly admitted nursing home residents with dementia.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

To quantify the use of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) and memantine in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia upon NH admission and 3 months later and to examine factors associated with reduction in therapy.

DESIGN:

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING:

Nationwide sample of U.S. NHs.

PARTICIPANTS:

Three thousand five hundred six NH residents with dementia newly admitted in 2006.

MEASUREMENTS:

Data from pharmacy dispensing records were used to determine ChEI and memantine medication use upon NH admission and at 3-month follow-up. The Minimum Data Set was used to determine resident- and facility-level characteristics. Severity of dementia was defined using the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS).

RESULTS:

Overall, 40.1% (n=1,407) of newly admitted NH residents with dementia received ChEIs and memantine on NH admission. Use of ChEIs and memantine on admission was significantly greater in residents with mild to moderately severe dementia (41.2%) than in those with advanced dementia (33.3%, P=.001). After 3 months, ChEI and memantine use decreased by about half in both groups (48.6% with mild to moderately severe dementia vs 57.0% with advanced dementia, P<.05). NH residents with advanced dementia were significantly more likely reduce their use of ChEIs and memantine than those with mild to moderately severe dementia (odds ratio=1.44, 95% confidence interval=1.03-2.01, P=.04).

CONCLUSION:

Many NH residents with advanced dementia receive ChEIs and memantine upon NH admission, and approximately half of these decrease their medication use over the ensuing months. Further study is required to optimize use of ChEIs and memantine in NH populations and to determine the effects of withdrawing therapy on resident outcomes.

• Authors: Carole Parsons, Becky A Briesacher, Jane L Givens, Yong Chen, Jennifer Tjia
• Journal: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (J Am Geriatr Soc) Vol. 59 Issue 7 Pg. 1253-9 (Jul 2011) ISSN: 1532-5415 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21668913 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: © 2011, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.

Chemical References

• Cholinesterase Inhibitors
• Memantine

Topics

• Aged, 80 and over
• Cholinesterase Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Cohort Studies
• Dementia (drug therapy)
• Drug Utilization (statistics & numerical data)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Memantine (therapeutic use)
• Nursing Homes
• Retrospective Studies