Objective
To analyze the association between use of psychoactive drugs and functional decline
among noninstitutionalized dependent elderly people.
Design
Cross-sectional study.
Participants
A total of 161 community-dwelling elderly people with functional dependence.
Measurements
The data were analyzed using logistic regression with adjustment for age models. The
independent variables were the following: use of psychoactive drugs (antidepressants,
anticonvulsants, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, or sedatives), cognitive decline (Mini-Mental
State Examination score<20), and daytime sleepiness. The dependent variables were the following: dependence
relating to activities of daily living (ADLs) and dependence relating to instrumental
activities of daily living (IADLs).
Results
Data on 131 individuals of mean age 77.5 years were analyzed. Psychoactive drugs were
used by 33.6%. Age-adjusted univariate analysis showed associations between psychoactive
drug use and both ADLs and IADLs. However, in multivariate analysis, only ADLs showed
a significant association with psychoactive drug use, independent of cognitive decline
and daytime sleepiness (OR=2.67; 95% CI: 1.04–6.85; P=.04).
Conclusions
There is a greater risk of impairment of ADLs among noninstitutionalized elderly people
using psychoactive drugs. These results indicate the need for rational use of medication
groups among this population with greater risk of functional impairment.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 28, 2010
Footnotes
Financial support was provided by Fundação Araucária and Fundação de Apoio ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão – Universidade Estadual de Londrina (FAEPE/UEL).
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American Medical Directors Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
