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Abstract
To examine the prescribing of prochlorperazine secondary to the prescribing of a medicine
which could lead to symptoms for which prochlorperazine is indicated and commonly
used. Given the range of potential hypotensive, sedative, dystonic and other extra-pyramidal
side effects associated with prochlorperazine, its association with hip fracture was
also examined.
Prescription/event sequence symmetry analyses were undertaken from 1st January 2003
to 31st December 2006, using administrative claims data from the Department of Veterans'
Affairs, Australia. This method assesses asymmetry in the distribution of an incident
event (either prescription of another medicine or hospitalization) before and after
the initiation of prochlorperazine. Crude and adjusted sequence ratios (ASR) with
95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
A total of 34 235 persons with incident use of prochlorperazine were identified during
the study period. Statistically significant positive associations were found for a
number of commonly used medicines, including cardiovascular medicines, NSAIDs, opioids
and sedatives and the subsequent initiation of prochlorperazine that ranged from 1.07
(95%CI 1.01-1.14) for diuretics to 1.50 (95%CI 1.40-1.61) for statins. Prescription
event analysis showed a 49% (95%CI 1.19-1.86) increased risk of hospitalisation for
hip fracture following dispensing of prochlorperazine.
Prescribers should consider the possible contributing role of newly initiated medicines
with the potential to cause of dizziness, and where possible address this through
dose reduction or cessation of the medicine, rather than prescribing prochlorperazine.
(c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statins are effective cholesterol-lowering drugs that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease events (heart attacks, strokes, and the need for arterial revascularisation). Adverse effects from some statins on muscle, such as myopathy and rhabdomyolysis, are rare at standard doses, and on the liver, in increasing levels of transaminases, are unusual. Myopathy--muscle pain or weakness with blood creatine kinase levels more than ten times the upper limit of the normal range--typically occurs in fewer than one in 10,000 patients on standard statin doses. However, this risk varies between statins, and increases with use of higher doses and interacting drugs. Rhabdomyolysis is a rarer and more severe form of myopathy, with myoglobin release into the circulation and risk of renal failure. Stopping statin use reverses these side-effects, usually leading to a full recovery. Asymptomatic increases in concentrations of liver transaminases are recorded with all statins, but are not clearly associated with an increased risk of liver disease. For most people, statins are safe and well-tolerated, and their widespread use has the potential to have a major effect on the global burden of cardiovascular disease.
The authors prospectively explored the consequences of hip fracture with regard to discharge placement, functional status, and mortality using the Survey on Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD). Data from baseline (1993) AHEAD interviews and biennial follow-up interviews were linked to Medicare claims data from 1993-2005. There were 495 postbaseline hip fractures among 5,511 respondents aged >or=69 years. Mean age at hip fracture was 85 years; 73% of fracture patients were white women, 45% had pertrochanteric fractures, and 55% underwent surgical pinning. Most patients (58%) were discharged to a nursing facility, with 14% being discharged to their homes. In-hospital, 6-month, and 1-year mortality were 2.7%, 19%, and 26%, respectively. Declines in functional-status-scale scores ranged from 29% on the fine motor skills scale to 56% on the mobility index. Mean scale score declines were 1.9 for activities of daily living, 1.7 for instrumental activities of daily living, and 2.2 for depressive symptoms; scores on mobility, large muscle, gross motor, and cognitive status scales worsened by 2.3, 1.6, 2.2, and 2.5 points, respectively. Hip fracture characteristics, socioeconomic status, and year of fracture were significantly associated with discharge placement. Sex, age, dementia, and frailty were significantly associated with mortality. This is one of the few studies to prospectively capture these declines in functional status after hip fracture.
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