Drug-induced Adverse Events and Prescribing Cascades in Older Adults: Pharmacy Stakeholder Survey

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess pharmacists’ and student pharmacists’ understanding of drug-induced adverse events (DIAEs) and prescribing cascades (PC) and assess their willingness to use system-level approaches to identify DIAEs and PC for future patient interventions. Methods: Following a continuing education presentation on DIAEs and PC, pharmacists and student pharmacists completed a survey. A retrospective post-then-pre method was used to assess knowledge. McNemar tests and chi-square analyses were used to determine differences in understanding of DIAEs and PCs, as well as between pharmacists and student pharmacists. Results: A total of 53 participants completed the survey including pharmacists (n=39) and student pharmacists (n=14). Fewer participants had previously heard of the term (40%; p<0.001) and concept (60%; p<0.001) of PC compared to the term and concept (98% in both) of DIAE. Student pharmacists were less likely to have heard of the term PC (14%) compared to pharmacists (40%; p=0.029). There was no difference in knowledge of the concept of PC. Nearly all respondents were willing to assess for DIAE and PC in their patients, and over 75% of respondents were willing to receive systems-based alerts for DIAE and PC. Conclusion: There was a differential in understanding DIAE and PC among respondents. Programs aimed at building understanding, as well as systems-level alerts for PC, are needed. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: This author declare no conflicts of interest for this manuscript. Support: This publication was supported by the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences grant UL1TR000448, sub-award KL2TR000450, from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).   Type: Student Projec

Immunosuppressants and risk of Parkinson disease

We performed a population-based case-control study of United States Medicare beneficiaries age 60-90 in 2009 with prescription data (48,295 incident Parkinson disease cases and 52,324 controls) to examine the risk of Parkinson disease in relation to use of immunosuppressants. Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors (relative risk = 0.64; 95% confidence interval 0.51-0.79) and corticosteroids (relative risk = 0.80; 95% confidence interval 0.77-0.83) were both associated with a lower risk of Parkinson disease. Inverse associations for both remained after applying a 12-month exposure lag. Overall, this study provides evidence that use of corticosteroids and inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors might lower the risk of Parkinson disease

Adverse Events and Treatment Discontinuations of Antimuscarinics for the Treatment of Overactive Bladder in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction Antimuscarinics should be used with caution in older adults with overactive bladder (OAB) due to anticholinergic adverse events (AEs). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) have analyzed safety-related outcomes but have not specified risk in the elderly, the population at highest risk for AEs. The aim of this review is to explore and evaluate AEs and treatment discontinuations in adults 65 or older taking antimuscarinics for OAB. Methods Keywords were searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) along with sub-analyses and pooled analyses that compared antimuscarinics to placebo or another antimuscarinic were performed in February 2015. Studies assessing AEs or treatment discontinuations in a population of adults 65 or older were included. The Jadad Criteria and McHarm Tool were used to assess the quality of the trials. Results A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eighty AEs and 27 reasons for treatment discontinuation were described in the included studies and further explored. Anticholinergic AEs were more common in antimuscarinics compared to placebo. Incidence of dizziness, dyspepsia, and urinary retention with fesoterodine, headache with darifenacin, and urinary tract infections with solifenacin were significantly higher compared to placebo. Treatment discontinuation due to AEs and dry mouth were higher in the antimuscarinics when compared to placebo in older adults. Conclusions Treatment for overactive bladder using antimuscarinics in adults aged 65 or older resulted in significant increases in risk for several AEs compared to placebo including anticholinergic and non-anticholinergic AEs

Team-based learning (TBL): An Argument for Faculty’s Evaluation

Team-based learning (TBL) is increasingly used for presenting educational information to students in colleges of pharmacy. Several studies have shown a positive impact on students both in terms of academic performance and comprehension. Current literature does not provide the full perspective of faculty, who are incorporating this methodology into the classroom. Cross-sectional surveys and commentary within manuscripts describe mixed findings regarding the faculty’s perception of TBL. The aims of this paper are: 1) to describe why faculty evaluation of TBL is important, 2) to outline variables for consideration in faculty evaluations of TBL, and 3) to describe uses for the data from faculty evaluation of TBL

Immunosuppressants and risk of Parkinson disease

We performed a population-based case-control study of United States Medicare beneficiaries age 60-90 in 2009 with prescription data (48,295 incident Parkinson disease cases and 52,324 controls) to examine the risk of Parkinson disease in relation to use of immunosuppressants. Inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors (relative risk = 0.64; 95% confidence interval 0.51-0.79) and corticosteroids (relative risk = 0.80; 95% confidence interval 0.77-0.83) were both associated with a lower risk of Parkinson disease. Inverse associations for both remained after applying a 12-month exposure lag. Overall, this study provides evidence that use of corticosteroids and inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitors might lower the risk of Parkinson disease

Magnitude of and Characteristics Associated With the Treatment of Calcium Channel Blocker-Induced Lower-Extremity Edema With Loop Diuretics

IMPORTANCE Calcium channel blockers, specifically dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (DH CCBs, eg, amlodipine), may cause lower-extremity edema. Anecdotal reports suggest this may result in a prescribing cascade, where DH CCB-induced edema is treated with loop diuretics. OBJECTIVE To assess the magnitude and characteristics of the DH CCB prescribing cascade. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study used a prescription sequence symmetry analysis to assess loop diuretic initiation before and after the initiation of DH CCBs among patients aged 20 years or older without heart failure. Data from a private insurance claims database from 2005 to 2017 was analyzed. Use of loop diuretics associated with initiation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and other commonly used medications was used as negative controls. Data were analyzed from March 2019 through October 2019. EXPOSURES Initiation of DH CCB or negative control medications. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The temporality of loop diuretic initiation relative to DH CCB or negative control initiation. Secular trend-adjusted sequence ratios (aSRs) with 95% CIs were calculated using data from 360 days before and after initiation of DH CCBs. RESULTS Among 1 206 093 DH CCB initiators, 55 818 patients (4.6%) (33 100 [59.3%] aged <65 years; 32 916 [59.0%] women) had a new loop diuretic prescription 360 days before or after DH CCB initiation, resulting in an aSR of 1.87 (95% CI, 1.84-1.90). An estimated 1.44% of DH CCB initiators experienced the prescribing cascade. The aSR was disproportionately higher among DH CCB initiators who were prescribed high doses (aSR, 2.20; 95% CI, 2.13-2.27), initiated amlodipine (aSR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.86-1.93), were men (aSR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.91-2.01), and used fewer antihypertensive classes (aSR, 2.55; 95% CI, 2.47-2.64). The evaluation of ACE inhibitors or ARBs as negative controls suggested hypertension progression may have tempered the incidence of the prescribing cascade (aSR for ACE inhibitors and ARBs, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.24-1.29). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study found an excessive use of loop diuretics following initiation of DH CCBs that cannot be completely explained by secular trends or hypertension progression. The prescribing cascade was more pronounced among those initially prescribed a high dose of DH CCBs.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]