Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may be especially vulnerable to the side effects of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), especially those that impair cognition. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of PIM use among 689 patients with MCI. We used the 2003 Beers Criteria for cognitive impairment to identify PIMs. We then determined if certain patients were more likely to use PIMs. RESULTS: There were 143 (20.8%) patients with MCI taking a PIM: 108 (15.7%) patients were taking one PIM and 35 (5.1%) patients were taking two or more PIMs. The most common PIMs were anticholinergics (35.7%) and benzodiazepines (31.5%). Patients were more likely to be taking PIMs if they were women and were taking a greater number of medications and less likely if they had a history of myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MCI are frequently taking PIMs that may negatively affect cognition. Future research is needed to assess whether cognitive impairment symptoms are improved if PIM use is reduced.