Four Medications Cause Most Hospitalizations in Elderly
About two-thirds of emergency hospitalizations among elderly U.S. residents can be attributed to four commonly prescribed medications, according to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. For the study, CDC researchers analyzed data from 2007 to 2009 for 58 hospitals participating in an adverse drug-event surveillance project. The most frequently cited drugs in the study were warfarin, which accounted for 33% of hospitalizations; insulin, which accounted for 14% of cases; antiplatelet drugs -- such as aspirin and Plavix --Â which were implicated in 13% of hospitalizations; and oral diabetes medications, which were involved in 11% of cases.
- "Emergency Hospitalizations of Elderly Often Tied to Key Medications" (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 11/24).
- "Common Drugs Key in Emergency Admissions for Seniors" (Smith, MedPage Today, 11/23).
- "Four Common Meds Send Thousands of Seniors to Hospital: CDC" (Goodwin, HealthDay, 11/23).