Antipsychotic Drugs Increase Risk Of Developing Pneumonia In Elderly - Nursing Home Patients At Particular Risk

Elderly patients who use antipsychotic drugs have a 60 percent increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to non-users. This risk is highest in the first week following prescription and decreases gradually thereafter. These findings are published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Antipsychotic drugs are frequently used in elderly patients for the treatment of psychosis and behavioral problems associated with dementia and delirium. This study is the first to show that the development of pneumonia is associated with antipsychotic drug use.

"The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," say Drs. Rob van Marum and Wilma Knol, authors of the study. They caution that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."