Opioids have been associated with an increased excess mortality-risk in the general population. Older people with dementia have been prescribed opioids more frequently and the use of strong opioids has increased considerably over the past decade among older people with dementia. A new study presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam (Netherlands) reported that new opioid use in older adults diagnosed with dementia is associated with a significantly increased risk of death. The study included more than 75.000 Danish residents aged 65 years and older diagnosed with dementia between 2008 and 2018, including both home-living and nursing home residents. 42% of this study population diagnosed with dementia redeemed a prescription for an opioid at a pharmacy. The researchers followed study participants for 180 days after their first opioid prescription.
They also followed a group of older adults with dementia who did not receive an opioid prescription and compared risk of death between the two groups. Findings showed that new opioid use was frequent among older people with dementia and this was associated with a significantly increased risk of death. 33% of the study participants died within 180 days after initiating their first opioid prescription, compared with 6.4% of those with the disease who didn’t take opioids. After adjusting for potential differences between groups, researchers found a fourfold increased excess mortality risk. The risk was greatest in the first two weeks, where mortality for all opioids was increased elevenfold. Strong opioids (i.e. morphine, oxycodone, ketobemidone, hydromorphone) were associated with a sixfold increased mortality risk, whereas the risk was lower for weak opioids. Read the AAIC press release: https://aaic.alz.org/releases_2023/opioids-increase-risk-death-older-adults-dementia.asp
