Discontinuing Cholinesterase When Starting Memantine Not Tied to Institutionalization Care
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2024 -- Discontinuing cholinesterase inhibitors upon memantine initiation is not associated with an increased risk for long-term care institutionalization among older adults with dementia, according to a study published online Nov. 19 in JAMA Network Open.
Yu-Chien Lee, M.D., M.P.H., from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and colleagues examined the association of cholinesterase inhibitor discontinuation and long-term care institutionalization among older adults with dementia who initiate memantine. The analysis included claims data (2014 through 2019) for 16,292 Medicare beneficiaries who initiated memantine.
The researchers found that when propensity-matching a cohort of 3,612 beneficiaries, over one year, long-term care institutionalization occurred in 2.8 percent of beneficiaries who discontinued cholinesterase inhibitors versus 3.4 percent of beneficiaries who continued, with no statistically significant difference in the one-year mean institutionalization-free days between the discontinuation and continuation groups (360.6 versus 359.1 days; mean difference, 1.5 days). Similarly, there were no mean differences in long-term care institutionalization-free days by age category, sex, dementia type, frailty, or dementia stage. There was a lower rate of fall-related injury in individuals who discontinued (0.9 versus 2.0 per 100 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.47; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.25 to 0.88). There was no difference between the groups for all-cause death (10.4 versus 11.6 per 100 person-years; HR, 0.89; 95 percent CI, 0.72 to 1.10).
"These findings offer valuable insights for clinicians aiming to reduce treatment burden in this population," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to Alosa Health and VillageMD.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Exposure to Certain HIV Drugs May Significantly Lower Risk for Alzheimer Disease
TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- Exposure to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), which treat HIV and hepatitis B and inhibit inflammasome activation, is associated with a...
Overwork Tied to Structural Changes in Brains of Health Care Workers
MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- Overwork in health care workers is associated with structural brain changes, particularly in regions linked to cognition and emotion, according to a study...
Greater Sedentary Time Associated With Higher Risk for Alzheimer Disease
FRIDAY, May 16, 2025 -- Sedentary time is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published online May 13 in Alzheimer's &...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.