Drug-Induced Diseases in the Elderly

A special issue of Medicines (ISSN 2305-6320).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 10553

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Primary Care Departiment, Center for Cognitive Disorders and Dementia DSS Catanzaro Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Catanzaro, Viale Crotone 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Interests: dementia; cognitive aging; neuroinflammation; neurodegeneration; comprensive geriatric assessment
Azienda Sanitaria Locale Napoli 3 sud. Chief pf Rheumatologic outpatent clinic, health district no. 59 - 80065, Sant'Agnello, Naples, Italy
Interests: rheumatic inflammatory diseases; elderly patients; drug-induced diseases; elderly-onset rheumatic diseases; polymyalgia rheumatica; conventional and non-conventional therapies in rheumatic patients; disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs; glucocorticoids; cronotherapy

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

It is common knowledge that medicines may induce or worsen several diseases. In some cases, drug-induced diseases are characterized by clinical and/or laboratory distinctive findings that are different from those of the correspondent "primary" diseases. In this sense, drug-induced lupus erythematosus (DILE) is paradigmatic. The use of assessment scales for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) such as the scale proposed in 1981 by Naranjo et al. is widely recommended in the published literature to avoid a deductive methodological approach. On the other hand, tardive syndromes may represent ADRs for which the use of the Naranjo’s scale or other different assessment scales may be difficult and critical.  Finally, gender pharmacology, pharmacogenetics, and pharmacogenomics—when available—may provide essential information. In the elderly patients, polypharmacology has specific effects, often absent in other age groups, so that the role of over-the-counter products is by no means secondary. Moreover, age-related changes are possible both in pharmacodynamics and in pharmacokinetics.

The purpose of this Special Issue of Medicines is to explore all aspects of the wide world of drug-induced diseases in the elderly. We invite all colleagues to submit their research or review manuscripts on this important topic.

Dr. Alberto Castagna
Dr. Ciro Manzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • elderly
  • adverse drug reaction
  • pharmacovigilance
  • assessment scales
  • case reports
  • case series
  • drug–drug interactions
  • drugs and over-the-counter products interactions
  • pharmacogenomics
  • gender pharmacology
  • pharmacogenetics

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

23 pages, 694 KiB  
Review
Recognition and Management of Antipsychotic-Induced Parkinsonism in Older Adults: A Narrative Review
by Sharadha Wisidagama, Abiram Selladurai, Peter Wu, Marco Isetta and Jordi Serra-Mestres
Medicines 2021, 8(6), 24; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/medicines8060024 - 26 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 9817
Abstract
Background: Parkinsonism is a common side-effect of antipsychotic drugs especially in older adults, who also present with a higher frequency of neurodegenerative disorders like Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD). Distinguishing between antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism (AIP) and IPD is challenging due to clinical similarities. Up to [...] Read more.
Background: Parkinsonism is a common side-effect of antipsychotic drugs especially in older adults, who also present with a higher frequency of neurodegenerative disorders like Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD). Distinguishing between antipsychotic-induced parkinsonism (AIP) and IPD is challenging due to clinical similarities. Up to 20% of older adults may suffer from persisting parkinsonism months after discontinuation of antipsychotics, suggesting underlying neurodegeneration. A review of the literature on AIP in older adults is presented, focusing on epidemiology, clinical aspects, and management. Methods: A literature search was undertaken on EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO, for articles on parkinsonism induced by antipsychotic drugs or other dopamine 2 receptor antagonists in subjects aged 65 or older. Results: AIP in older adults is the second most common cause of parkinsonism after IPD. Older age, female gender, exposure to high-potency first generation antipsychotics, and antipsychotic dosage are the main risk factors. The clinical presentation of AIP resembles that of IPD, but is more symmetrical, affects upper limbs more, and tends to have associated motor phenomena such as orofacial dyskinesias and akathisia. Presence of olfactory dysfunction in AIP suggests neurodegeneration. Imaging of striatal dopamine transporters is widely used in IPD diagnosis and could help to distinguish it from AIP. There is little evidence base for recommending pharmacological interventions for AIP, the best options being dose-reduction/withdrawal, or switching to a second-generation drug. Conclusions: AIP is a common occurrence in older adults and it is possible to differentiate it from IPD. Further research is needed into its pathophysiology and on its treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drug-Induced Diseases in the Elderly)
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