Dementia is a condition in which patients suffer from memory loss, difficulties with speaking and understanding, and shorter attention spans amongst other symptoms. There are over 800,000 people in the UK diagnosed with dementia and this number is increasing as people live longer. There are some medicines which are recommended for use in treating the symptoms of dementia. However, there are others, some of which are not recommended for use in patients with dementia as they can sometimes lead to heart attacks, strokes, and death, which are also used to manage dementia symptoms despite being intended for use in other conditions. The over prescribing of these medicines not recommended for use in patients with dementia has been identified and efforts are ongoing to try and ensure patients are diagnosed with dementia in a timely fashion and are prescribed the appropriate medications to treat their symptoms. This study will explore the number of diagnoses of dementia across the UK and the level of use of different medicines to treat the symptoms. The findings will help inform ongoing national efforts to reduce inappropriate prescribing.
Dementia is a syndrome that is associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. Symptoms can include memory loss, language problems, short attention span, misunderstanding, and lack of judgement. There are over 800,000 people in the UK diagnosed with dementia, with this number, and hence the associated cost, expected to increase dramatically as life expectancy increases. Anti-dementia drugs are licensed for the treatment of the symptoms of dementia with an increasing number of cheaper generic formulations becoming available in recent years. In addition, antipsychotic drugs have been used to manage the psychological and behavioural symptoms of dementia in elderly patients although only one, risperidone, is licensed for the treatment of dementia patients. Other antipsychotics are not usually recommended for the treatment of dementia because they are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, and can make the symptoms of dementia worse. This study will quantify the level of recorded diagnosis of dementia and the prescribing of both anti-dementia and antipsychotic medications over time. It will also investigate the potential impact of both new guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of dementia as well as decreasing medication costs. Trends in the use of other medicines that are also used to treat the symptoms of dementia, including antidepressants, hypnotics/anxiolytics, and anticonvulsants, will also be explored. This is a descriptive study only and no formal hypothesis testing will be conducted. The findings will be used to inform the ongoing efforts through the National Dementia Strategy to reduce the level of inappropriate prescribing of antipsychotics to treat dementia.
Number and proportion of patients with a diagnosis of dementia Number and proportion of dementia patients with a prescription for an anti-dementia or antipsychotic medication
Katherine Donegan - Chief Investigator - MHRA
Katherine Donegan - Corresponding Applicant - MHRA