Anti-epilepsy drugs linked to more hospital stays in those with Alzheimer’s disease
According to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland, people with Alzheimer’s disease who use anti-epilepsy drugs spend more time in hospital than those who do not use these drugs.
Of note: Up to one per cent of the population needs such drugs to control their epilepsy; other indications include neuropathic pain, as well as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
In this study, researchers restricted their analysis to people without an epilepsy diagnosis. Differences in the accumulated number of hospital days between users and non-users of anti-epilepsy drugs were most evident for those with musculoskeletal, respiratory and neurological diseases (excluding Alzheimer’s disease), and mental and behavioural disorders (excluding dementia). However, dementia was the most common diagnosis for hospitalization.
Source: University of Eastern Finland
