Antipsychotic and antidepressant drug use in the elderly and the risk of venous thromboembolism

BACKGROUND: Preliminary evidence suggests that use of antipsychotic drugs is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between antipsychotic or antidepressant drug use and venous thromboembolism among adults aged 65 years and older. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using linked health care administrative databases over a nine year period. SETTING: The entire province of Ontario, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 65 years and over exclusively prescribed either antipsychotic drugs (n = 22,514), antidepressant drugs (n = 75,649) or thyroid replacement hormones (33,033), the referent control group. We excluded those with an antecedent history of cardiovascular disease, venous thromboembolism or cancer, as well as those dispensed warfarin before study entry. MEASUREMENTS: Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. RESULTS: Relative to those prescribed thyroid hormones, neither antidepressant (adjusted hazard ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.91-1.14) nor antipsychotic (adjusted hazard ratio 1.13, 95% CI 0.96-1.32) drug use was associated with an increased risk for deep vein thrombosis. Similar risk estimates were found for deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. In a sub-group analysis, only butyrophenone use was found to be associated with a slightly increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (adjusted HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.23-1.86) as well as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (adjusted HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.18-1.74). CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of adults aged 65 years and older, neither antipsychotic or antidepressant drug use was associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism, with the exception of a slightly increased risk among those prescribed butyrophenones. Further data are required before use of these psychoactive drugs can be considered a risk factor for venous thromboembolism.     

Breast reduction surgery in Ontario: Changes in practice, 1992 to 2008

BACKGROUND:

Symptomatic mammary hypertrophy impacts physical function and patient quality of life. Breast reduction mammoplasty, a surgical procedure performed to reduce breast size, has been used for many years to reduce these symptoms.

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate variations in the surgical practice of breast reduction mammoplasty among women ≥15 years of age (approximately 6.4 million population in 2008) over a 17-year period in Ontario.

METHOD:

A population-based, cross-sectional time series analysis was conducted to examine temporal trends in 87,049 breast reduction surgeries performed between January 1, 1992 and December 30, 2008.

RESULTS:

Breast reduction rates have been relatively stable over time, with 83 per 100,000 of the female population undergoing breast reduction surgery annually. However, a significant decrease in the rate of inpatient surgeries were observed over the study period (from 69.3 per 100,000 in 1992 to 25.7 per 100,000 in 2008). At the beginning of the study period, the highest annual rates of this procedure were observed among women 21 to 30 years of age (116.6 procedures per 100,000); however, by the end of the observation period, this shifted to women 31 to 50 years of age (109.9 procedures per 100,000). Furthermore, the annual procedure rate among women ≥51 years of age almost doubled, rising from 36.4 procedures per 100,000 in 1992 to 66.6 procedures per 100,000 in 2008. This was likely related to changing demographics and social factors.

CONCLUSION:

These data suggest that breast reduction mammoplasty will continue to be requested, with an increased proportion of patients who are older and desire improved quality of life and physical function.     

Atypical antipsychotics and risk of cerebrovascular accidents

OBJECTIVE: Randomized controlled trials have suggested that at least one atypical antipsychotic may be associated with an increased risk of stroke in older people with dementia. This study examined the association between atypical antipsychotic use and stroke in the elderly. METHOD: The authors conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study of patients over the age of 66 by linking administrative health care databases. Three cohorts-users of typical antipsychotics, risperidone, and olanzapine-were identified and compared. RESULTS: Subjects treated with typical antipsychotics (N=1,015) were compared with those given risperidone (N=6,964) and olanzapine (N=3,421). Model-based estimates adjusted for covariates hypothesized to be associated with stroke risk revealed relative risk estimates of 1.1 (95% CI=0.5-2.3) for olanzapine and 1.4 (95% CI=0.7-2.8) for risperidone. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine and risperidone use were not associated with a statistically significant increased risk of stroke compared with typical antipsychotic use.     

Time series analysis of age related cataract hospitalizations and phacoemulsification

Background  

Cataract surgery remains a commonly performed elective surgical procedure in the aging and the elderly. The purpose of this study was to utilize time series methodology to determine the temporal and seasonal variations and the strength of the seasonality in age-related (senile) cataract hospitalizations and phacoemulsification surgeries.