High prevalence and prescription of benzodiazepines for elderly: data from psychiatric consultation to patients from an emergency room of a general hospital

Spanemberg, Lucas; Nogueira, Eduardo Lopes; Belem da Silva, Cristiano Tschiedel; Dargél, Aroldo Ayub; Menezes, Fernanda Silva; Neto, Alfredo Cataldo

doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.12.004

« Previous Next »General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume 33, Issue 1 , Pages 45-50, January 2011

High prevalence and prescription of benzodiazepines for elderly: data from psychiatric consultation to patients from an emergency room of a general hospital

Lucas Spanemberg, M.D.
- Departament of Psychiatry, Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Post-Graduate Program in Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Corresponding author. Psychiatric Unit, Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS – 90610-000, Brazil.
Eduardo Lopes Nogueira, M.D.
- Departament of Psychiatry, Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IGG), Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
Cristiano Tschiedel Belem da Silva, M.D.
- Departament of Psychiatry, Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
Aroldo Ayub Dargél, M.D.
- Departament of Psychiatry, Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Post-Graduate Program in Psychiatry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
Fernanda Silva Menezes, M.Sc.
- Departament of Psychiatry, Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
Alfredo Cataldo Neto, Ph.D.
- Departament of Psychiatry, Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Institute of Geriatrics and Gerontology (IGG), Hospital São Lucas da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil

Received 17 September 2010; accepted 8 December 2010. published online 27 January 2011.

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study is to compare the use and prescription of psychotropic drugs, with emphasis on benzodiazepines, in elderly and non-elderly patients who are assisted at the emergency room by a psychiatric consultation of a university teaching hospital.

Method

This is a cross-sectional study. We analyzed all records of psychiatric consultation in an emergency room of a general hospital from March 2009 until March 2010. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were compared between the group of elderly and non-elderly in two cutoff points (≥60 and ≥65 years), with emphasis on the use and prescription of benzodiazepines.

Results

Five hundred seventy-five records were found with 71 elderly and 504 nonelderly for the first cutoff point and 51 elderly and 524 nonelderly in the second. Differences between groups were found in all sociodemographic variables (gender, marital status, education, current occupational status). Elderly patients treated at emergency rooms used more psychotropic drugs, particularly antidepressants and benzodiazepines, than non-elderly. About 25% of the patients received benzodiazepine treatment in the emergency setting, and there was no statistical difference between age groups.

Conclusion

There is a wide prevalence of benzodiazepine use among elderly patients in a psychiatric emergency service. Despite the recommendations for its judicious use, benzodiazepines were the most commonly used drug by psychiatrists on duty, regardless of patient's age. These results call for caution in prescribing these drugs and require alternatives to the treatment of psychiatric disorders in the elderly.

Keywords: Benzodiazepines, Elderly, Pharmacoepidemiology, Psychotropic drugs, Brazil