Citation

Bloch F, Thibaud M, Dugué B, Brèque C, Rigaud AS, Kemoun G. J. Aging Health 2011; 23(2): 329-346.

Affiliation

Department of Gerontology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (Hôpital Broca); University of Poitiers, Laboratory of Exercise-Induced Physiological Adaptatio.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0898264310381277

PMID

20947876

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To carry out meta-analyses on psychotropic drugs and to provide an update of the risk of falling in the elderly people related to psychotropic drugs. DESIGN: Meta-analyses of studies on psychotropic drugs. RESULTS: 177 studies are included, of which 71 have data on risk factors associated with psychotropic drugs. The odds ratio and 95% Cl for associations between use of psychotropic drugs and fall are 1.78 and 1.57-2.01, respectively. This result is statistically heterogeneous. This heterogeneity disappears in the group of very old participants for each class. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the association between falls in the elderly people and psychotropic drugs. These results are similar to those of former meta-analyses but with different methods. It shows that these meta-analyses on psychotropic drugs have a small impact on prescribing habits. They only give evidence to support the association between psychotropic drugs and falls even if there is no proven link.

Language: en