Older adults and withdrawal from benzodiazepine hypnotics in general practice: effects on cognitive function, sleep, mood and quality of life

Background: Older adults are the main recipients of repeat prescriptions for benzodiazepine (BZD) hypnotics. BZDs can impair cognitive function and may not aid sleep when taken continuously for years. This study therefore aimed to determine if withdrawing from BZDs leads to changes in patients' cognitive function, quality of life, mood and sleep. Method: One hundred and ninety-two long-term users of BZD hypnotics, aged [gt-or-equal, slanted]65 years, were identified in 25 general practices. One hundred and four who wished to withdraw were randomly allocated to one of two groups under double-blind, placebo controlled conditions: group A's BZD dose was tapered from week 1 of the trial; group B were given their usual dose for 12 weeks and then it was tapered. An additional group (C) of 35 patients who did not wish to withdraw from BZDs participated as ‘continuers’. All patients were assessed at 0, 12 and 24 weeks and 50% were re-assessed at 52 weeks. Results: Sixty per cent of patients had taken BZDs continuously for >10 years; 27% for >20 years. Of all patients beginning the trial, 80% had successfully withdrawn 6 months later. There was little difference between groups A and B, but these groups differed from continuers (C) in that the performance of the withdrawers on several cognitive/psychomotor tasks showed relative improvements at 24 or 52 weeks. Withdrawers and continuers did not differ in sleep or BZD withdrawal symptoms. Conclusions: These results have clear implications for clinical practice. Withdrawal from BZDs produces some subtle cognitive advantages for older people, yet little in the way of withdrawal symptoms or emergent sleep difficulties. These findings also suggest that, taken long-term, BZDs do not aid sleep

The UK experience of promoting dementia recognition and management in primary care

BACKGROUND: The early and timely recognition of dementia syndrome is a policy imperative in many countries. In the UK the achievement of earlier and timelier recognition has been pursued through educational interventions, incentivisation of general practitioners and the promotion of a network of memory clinics. OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of education, incentivisation and memory clinic activity are unknown. This article analyses data from different sources to evaluate the impact of these interventions on the incidence and prevalence of dementia, and the diagnostic performance of memory clinics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three data sources were used: 1) aggregated, anonymised data from a network of general practices using the same electronic medical record software, The Health Information Network (THIN), 2) UK Health & Social Care Information Centre data reports and 3) Responses to Freedom of Information Act requests. RESULTS: Educational interventions did not appear to change the recorded incidence of dementia syndrome. There was no apparent effect of education, incentives or memory clinic activity on the reported incidence of dementia syndrome between 1997 and 2011 but there were signs of change in the documentation of consultations with people with dementia. There was no clear impact of incentivisation and memory clinic activity in prevalence data. Memory clinics are seeing more patients but fewer are being diagnosed with dementia. CONCLUSION: It is not clear why there has been no upturn in documented incidence or prevalence of dementia syndrome despite substantial efforts and this requires further investigation to guide policy changes. The performance of memory clinics also needs further study

Vitamin D Supplementation as a Potential Cause of U-shaped Associations between Vitamin D Levels and Negative Health Outcomes: A Decision Tree Analysis for Risk of Frailty

Background: A recent controversy in vitamin D research is a “U-shaped association”, with elevated disease risks at both high and low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH) D) levels. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 238 male nursing home veterans in Hawaii. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis identified groups based on 25 (OH) D and vitamin D supplementation for frailty risk. Characteristics were examined and compared across the groups using logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Results: CART analysis identified three distinct groups: vitamin D supplement users (n = 86), non-users with low vitamin D (n = 55), and non-users with high vitamin D (n = 97). Supplement users were the most frail, but had high mean 25 (OH) D of 26.6 ng/mL, which was compatible with 27.1 ng/mL in non-users with high vitamin D, while mean 25 (OH) D of non-users with low vitamin D was 11.7 ng/mL. Supplement users and non-users with low vitamin D were significantly more likely to be frail (odds ratio (OR) = 9.90, 95% CI = 2.18–44.86, p = 0.003; OR = 4.28, 95% CI = 1.44–12. 68, p = 0.009, respectively), compared with non-users with low vitamin D. ROC curve analysis showed the three groups significantly predicted frailty (area under the curve = 0.73), with sensitivity of 64.4% and specificity of 76.7%, while 25 (OH) D did not predict frailty. Conclusions: In these nursing home veterans, vitamin D supplement users were the most frail but with high 25 (OH) D. This can potentially be a cause of U-shaped associations between vitamin D levels and negative health outcomes

Smoking as a predictor of frailty: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Evidence on longitudinal associations between smoking and frailty is scarce. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature on smoking as a predictor of frailty changes among community-dwelling middle-aged and older population. METHODS: A systematic search was performed using three electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus for studies published from 2000 through May 2015. Reference lists of relevant articles, articles shown as related citations in PubMed and articles citing the included studies in Google Scholar were also reviewed. Studies were included if they were prospective observational studies investigating smoking status as a predictor and subsequent changes in frailty, defined by validated criteria among community-dwelling general population aged 50 or older. A standardised data collection tool was used to extract data. Methodological quality was examined using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies. RESULTS: A total of 1020 studies were identified and systematically reviewed for their titles, abstracts and full-text to assess their eligibilities. Five studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this review. These studies were critically reviewed and assessed for validity of their findings. Despite different methodologies and frailty criteria used, four of the five studies consistently showed baseline smoking was significantly associated with developing frailty or worsening frailty status at follow-up. Although not significant, the other study showed the same trend in male smokers. It is of note that most of the estimate measures were either unadjusted or only adjusted for a limited number of important covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review provides the evidence of smoking as a predictor of worsening frailty status in community-dwelling population. Smoking cessation may potentially be beneficial for preventing or reversing frailty

Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and burden of morbidity associated with self-reported hearing and vision impairments in older British community-dwelling men: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Hearing and vision problems are common in older adults. We investigated the association of self-reported sensory impairment with lifestyle factors, chronic conditions, physical functioning, quality of life and social interaction. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study of participants of the British Regional Heart Study aged 63-85 years. RESULTS: A total of 3981 men (82% response rate) provided data. Twenty-seven per cent (n = 1074) reported hearing impairment including being able to hear with aid (n = 482), being unable to hear (no aid) (n = 424) and being unable to hear despite aid (n = 168). Three per cent (n = 124) reported vision impairment. Not being able to hear, irrespective of use of hearing aid, was associated with poor quality of life, poor social interaction and poor physical functioning. Men who could not hear despite hearing aid were more likely to report coronary heart disease (CHD) [age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) 1.89 (95% confidence interval 1.36-2.63)]. Vision impairment was associated with symptoms of CHD including breathlessness [OR 2.06 (1.38-3.06)] and chest pain [OR 1.58 (1.07-2.35)]. Vision impairment was also associated with poor quality of life, poor social interaction and poor physical functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Sensory impairment is associated with poor physical functioning, poor health and poor social interaction in older men. Further research is warranted on pathways underlying these associations

Explaining the effects of symptom attribution by carers on help-seeking for individuals living with dementia

This study investigated the effects of carer attributions on help-seeking behaviour for people with dementia using interviews with 84 carers recruited through general practice. Memory loss was the most commonly reported first symptom but psychological and behavioural symptoms were also common at onset. In over a third of individuals help-seeking was delayed for a mean of 25 months (range 6-69, SD 19.3). Help-seeking between those who attributed symptoms to dementia, or to unknown causes, and those who attributed symptoms to personality, ageing, life events or other illnesses was statistically significant ( p < 0.001). No statistically significant associations between help-seeking and patient or carer characteristics were found. There is a need to raise public awareness about the range of symptoms suggestive of dementia. Assumptions that age and other conditions may be the likely cause of an individual's cognitive decline needs to be challenged by practitioners. Attribution of symptoms to characteristics other than dementia delays help-seeking

Association between frailty and quality of life among community-dwelling older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: With growing numbers of older people worldwide, improving and maintaining quality of life during the extended years of life are a major focus for healthcare providers and policymakers. Some studies have suggested frailty may be associated with worse quality of life. OBJECTIVES: To review the associations between frailty and quality of life among community-dwelling older people. METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using five databases for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies examining associations between frailty and quality of life among community-dwelling older people published in 2000 or later. Reference lists of relevant studies were also manually searched. Authors were requested for data for a meta-analysis if necessary. Meta-analysis was attempted for studies using the same frailty criteria and quality-of-life instrument. Methodological quality, heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. RESULTS: The systematic review identified 5145 studies, among which 11 cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies were included in this review. Meta-analysis including four cross-sectional studies using the Fried Phenotype and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey showed that those classified as frail and prefrail had significantly lower mental and physical quality-of-life scores than those classified as non-frail. High heterogeneity and possible publication bias were noted. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis has demonstrated the evidence of a consistent inverse association between frailty/prefrailty and quality of life among community-dwelling older people. Interventions targeted at reducing frailty may have the additional benefit of improving corresponding quality of life. More longitudinal analysis is required to determine this effect

Family caregivers’ conceptualisation of quality end-of-life care for people with dementia: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND: People with dementia have been described as the ‘disadvantaged dying’ with poor end-of-life care. Towards the end of life, people with dementia cannot report on the care they receive. It is therefore important to talk to caregivers; however, few have explored the views about end-of-life care from the caregivers’ perspective. The majority of research on family caregivers has focussed on the burden and psychological impact of caring for a relative with dementia. AIM: This study aimed to explore the views of family caregivers about quality end-of-life care for people with dementia. DESIGN: Qualitative study using in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Purposive sampling from a third sector organisation’s caregiver network was used to recruit 47 caregivers in England (2012–2013), consisting of (1) family caregivers of someone who had recently received a diagnosis of dementia, (2) family caregivers currently caring for someone with dementia and (3) bereaved family caregivers. RESULTS: Three over-arching themes were derived from the interviewees’ discourse, including maintaining the person within, fostering respect and dignity and showing compassion and kindness. CONCLUSION: End-of-life care for people with dementia does not differ from care throughout the dementia trajectory. Throughout the findings, there is an implicit underlying theme of conflict: conflict between family caregivers and an increasingly systematised service of care and conflict between family caregivers and professionals. This study has in particular demonstrated the importance of the psycho-social aspects of care, aligning with the holistic definition of palliative care