Validity of ICD-10-based algorithms to identify patients with influenza in inpatient and outpatient settings

PURPOSE

To evaluate the validity of ICD-10-CM code-based algorithms as proxies for influenza in inpatient and outpatient settings in the USA.

METHODS

Administrative claims data (2015-2018) from the largest commercial insurer in New Jersey (NJ), USA, were probabilistically linked to outpatient and inpatient electronic health record (EHR) data containing influenza test results from a large NJ health system. The primary claims-based algorithms defined influenza as presence of an ICD-10-CM code for influenza, stratified by setting (inpatient/outpatient) and code position for inpatient encounters. Test characteristics and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using test-positive influenza as a reference standard. Test characteristics of alternative outpatient algorithms incorporating CPT/HCPCS testing codes and anti-influenza medication pharmacy claims were also calculated.

RESULTS

There were 430 documented influenza test results within the study period (295 inpatient, 135 outpatient). The claims-based influenza definition had a sensitivity of 84.9% (95% CI 72.9%-92.1%), specificity of 96.3% (95% CI 93.1%-98.0%), and PPV of 83.3% (95% CI 71.3%-91.0%) in the inpatient setting, and a sensitivity of 76.7% (95% CI 59.1%-88.2%), specificity of 96.2% (95% CI 90.6%-98.5%), PPV of 85.2% (95% CI 67.5%-94.1%) in the outpatient setting. Primary inpatient discharge diagnoses had a sensitivity of 54.7% (95% CI 41.5%-67.3%), specificity of 99.6% (95% CI 97.7%-99.9%), and PPV of 96.7% (95% CI 83.3%-99.4%). CPT/HCPCS codes and anti-influenza medication claims were present for few outpatient encounters (sensitivity 3%-10%).

CONCLUSIONS

In a large US healthcare system, inpatient ICD-10-CM codes for influenza, particularly primary inpatient diagnoses, had high predictive value for test-positive influenza. Outpatient ICD-10-CM codes were moderately predictive of test-positive influenza.

Psychiatric comorbidities and prescribing tendencies of sleep medications and related medications in young people with insomnia: A United States commercial claims-based analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To characterize children and youth newly diagnosed with insomnia and to describe their use of sleep and other related prescription medications.

METHODS

Within a commercial claims database (1/1/2016-12/31/2021), we identified children and youth (2-24 years) with a newly recorded insomnia diagnosis (G47.0x;F51.0x) and examined psychiatric diagnoses in the prior 6 months. We evaluated sleep and related prescription medications dispensed in the week after new insomnia diagnoses (i.e., trazodone, other antidepressants, hydroxyzine, alpha-agonists, benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine hypnotics 'z-drugs', antipsychotics, others). Analyses were stratified by age and psychiatric comorbidities.

RESULTS

Among 68,698 children and 108,118 older youth (18-24 years) with a new insomnia diagnosis, three-quarters had a diagnosed comorbid psychiatric condition; anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD were the most common. Among those without comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, 20.2% of children and 37.4% of older youth had a sleep or related medication dispensed in the following week. In children without a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, alpha-blockers, hydroxyzine, and trazodone were the most common medications; in older youth, trazodone was the most common medication followed by hydroxyzine, z-drugs, and SSRIs. Sleep and related prescription medications were more commonly dispensed in those with psychiatric comorbidities. From 2017 to 2021, there was an increase in hydroxyzine prescriptions following a new insomnia diagnosis and decline in z-drug and benzodiazepine prescriptions.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings from a nationwide sample of young people with insomnia highlight the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and variety of sleep and related medications they receive. Characterizing prescribing tendencies informs guideline development and future research.

Drug overdose risk with benzodiazepine treatment in young adults: Comparative analysis in privately and publicly insured individuals

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Benzodiazepines (BZDs) carry a risk for drug overdose and are prescribed alone or simultaneously with selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for the treatment of anxiety and depression in young adults. We aimed to measure risks of drug overdose following BZD treatment initiation, and simultaneous BZD and SSRI initiation, compared with SSRI treatment alone in young adults with depression or anxiety.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS

The cohort study used administrative databases covering privately (MarketScan, 1/1/2009-12/31/2018) and publicly (Medicaid, 1/1/2015-12/31/2016) insured young adults (18-29 years) in the United States. Those with depression or anxiety diagnoses newly initiating BZD or SSRI treatment (without BZD or SSRI prescriptions in prior year) were included. Simultaneous "BZD + SSRI" initiation was defined as starting BZD and SSRI treatment on the same day. The cohorts included 604 664 privately insured young adults (BZD = 22%, BZD + SSRI = 10%, SSRI = 68%) and 110 493 publicly insured young adults (BZD = 23%, BZD + SSRI = 5%, SSRI = 72%).

MEASUREMENTS

Incident medically treated drug overdose events were identified from emergency department and inpatient encounters (ICD poisoning codes) within 6 months of treatment initiation. Crude and propensity-score adjusted cumulative incidence and hazard ratios (HR) were estimated. Sub-analyses evaluated drug overdose intent.

FINDINGS

Adjusted HRs of drug overdose for BZD vs. SSRI treatment was 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.23-1.51) in privately and 1.59 (95%CI:1.37-1.83) in publicly insured young adults. The adjusted HRs of drug overdose for BZD + SSRI treatment vs. SSRI treatment were 1.99 (95%CI:1.77-2.25) in privately and 1.98 (95%CI:1.47-2.68) in publicly insured young adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Among young adults in the United States, initiating benzodiazepine treatment for anxiety and depression, alone or simultaneously with selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), appears to have an increased risk of medically treated drug overdose compared with SSRI treatment alone. These associations were observed in publicly and privately insured individuals.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Management of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Analysis of United States Commercial Insurance Data

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

Given limited information on health care and treatment utilization for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) during the pandemic, we studied JIA-related health care and treatment utilization in a commercially insured retrospective US cohort.

METHODS

We studied rates of outpatient visits, new disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) initiations, intra-articular glucocorticoid injections (iaGC), dispensed oral glucocorticoids and opioids, DMARD adherence, and DMARD discontinuation by quarter in March 2018-February 2021 (Q1 started in March). Incident rate ratios (IRR, pandemic vs prepandemic) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable Poisson or Quasi-Poisson models stratified by diagnosis recency (incident JIA, <12 months ago; prevalent JIA, ≥12 months ago).

RESULTS

Among 1294 children diagnosed with JIA, total and in-person outpatient visits for JIA declined during the pandemic (IRR, 0.88-0.90), most markedly in Q1 2020. Telemedicine visits, while higher during the pandemic, declined from 21% (Q1) to 13% (Q4) in 2020 to 2021. During the pandemic, children with prevalent JIA, but not incident JIA, had lower usage of iaGC (IRR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.34-1.07), oral glucocorticoids (IRR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.33-0.67), and opioids (IRR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.26-0.75). Adherence to and discontinuation of DMARDs was similar before and during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

In the first year of the pandemic, visits for JIA dropped by 10% to 12% in commercially insured children in the United States, declines partly mitigated by use of telemedicine. Pandemic-related declines in intra-articular glucocorticoids, oral glucocorticoids, and opioids were observed for children with prevalent, but not incident, JIA. These changes may have important implications for disease control and quality of life.

Geographic Trends in Pediatric Psychotropic Medication Dispensing Before and After the Start of the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

This study examined trends and geographic variability in dispensing of prescription psychotropic medications to U.S. youths before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Using national data on prescription medication dispensing, the authors performed a cross-sectional study examining the monthly percent change in psychotropic medications dispensed (total N=95,639,975) to youths (ages 5-18 years) in 2020 versus 2019, across medication classes and geographic regions.

RESULTS

For many medications, more were dispensed in March 2020 than in March 2019 and fewer in April-May 2020 versus April-May 2019. Stimulants had the largest decline: -26.4% in May 2020 versus May 2019. The magnitude of the monthly percent change varied by region.

CONCLUSIONS

Fewer psychotropic medications were dispensed to U.S. youths after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with 2019. Although some medication classes rebounded to prepandemic dispensing levels by September 2020, dispensing varied by class and region.

Cardiovascular outcomes with SGLT2 inhibitors versus DPP4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists in patients with heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction

BACKGROUND

No study has compared the cardiovascular outcomes for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) head-to-head against other glucose-lowering therapies, including dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor (DDP4i) or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA)-which also have cardiovascular benefits-in patients with heart failure with reduced (HFrEF) or preserved (HFpEF) ejection fraction.

METHODS

Medicare fee-for-service data (2013-2019) were used to create four pair-wise comparison cohorts of type 2 diabetes patients with: (1a) HFrEF initiating SGLT2i versus DPP4i; (1b) HFrEF initiating SGLT2i versus GLP-1RA; (2a) HFpEF initiating SGLT2i versus DPP4i; and (2b) HFpEF initiating SGLT2i versus GLP-1RA. The primary outcomes were (1) hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) and (2) myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke hospitalizations. Adjusted hazards ratios (HR) and 95% CIs were estimated using inverse probability of treatment weighting.

RESULTS

Among HFrEF patients, initiation of SGLT2i versus DPP4i (cohort 1a; n = 13,882) was associated with a lower risk of HHF (adjusted Hazard Ratio [HR (95% confidence interval)], 0.67 (0.63, 0.72) and MI or stroke (HR: 0.86 [0.75, 0.99]), and initiation of SGLT2i versus GLP-1RA (cohort 1b; n = 6951) was associated with lower risk of HHF (HR: 0.86 [0.79, 0.93]), but not MI or stroke (HR: 1.02 [0.85, 1.22]). Among HFpEF patients, initiation of SGLT2i versus DPP4i (cohort 2a; n = 17,493) was associated with lower risk of HHF (HR: 0.65 [0.61, 0.69]) but not MI or stroke (HR: 0.90 [0.79, 1.02]), and initiation of SGLT2i versus GLP-1RA (cohort 2b; n = 9053) was associated with lower risk of HHF (0.89 [0.83, 0.96]), but not MI or stroke (HR: 0.97 [0.83, 1.14]). Results were robust across range of secondary outcomes (e.g., all-cause mortality) and sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Bias from residual confounding cannot be ruled out. Use of SGLT2i was associated with reduced risk of HHF against DPP4i and GLP-1RA, reduced risk of MI or stroke against DPP4i within the HFrEF subgroup, and comparable risk of MI or stroke against GLP-1RA. Notably, the magnitude of cardiovascular benefit conferred by SGLT2i was similar among patients with HFrEF and HFpEF.

Means of suicide among adults with schizophrenia across the life span

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES

Adults with schizophrenia have increased risk of suicide with highest risk among younger adults. We investigated whether means of suicide among these adults were different from the general population.

STUDY DESIGN

This retrospective longitudinal analysis used the National Death Index to characterize means of suicide among 4 cohorts of Medicare patients with schizophrenia (2007-2016) by age: 18 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, and aged 55+ years. Means of suicide were categorized by age at death and sex. Adjusted hazard ratios were calculated for common means. Mortality rates per 100,000 person-years were estimated by age group stratified by sex, and standardized to the general population by age, sex, and race-ethnicity using standardized mortality ratios.

STUDY RESULTS

668,836 adults were included with 2218 suicide decedents: 1444 men and 774 women. The most common means of suicide was poisoning (36.8 %), with a significant sex difference by means: 55.9 % of women died by poisoning, 13.8 % by firearms, 11.0 % by hanging and 9.4 % by jumping, while among men suicide by poisoning (26.6 %), firearms (25.5 %), and hanging (24.2 %) were similar, followed by jumping (12.0 %). Suicide by poisoning among the schizophrenia cohort was 10 times that of the general population, while suicide by firearm was twice that of the general population.

CONCLUSIONS

Means of suicide differed for patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population: poisoning was the most common means among men and women with schizophrenia, while firearms accounted for over half of all suicides in the general U.S.

POPULATION

Association of Benzodiazepine Treatment for Sleep Disorders With Drug Overdose Risk Among Young People

IMPORTANCE

Benzodiazepines are prescribed for the treatment of adolescent sleep disorders; however, benzodiazepine overdoses occur, often in combination with opioids.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether benzodiazepine treatment for sleep disorders, compared with alternative pharmacologic treatments (trazodone, hydroxyzine, zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone), is associated with increased risk of drug overdose for young people.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study included privately insured people 10 to 29 years of age identified from a US commercial claims database (MarketScan), from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2018. Young people with a sleep disorder diagnosis initiating benzodiazepine (n = 23 084) or comparator pharmacologic treatments (n = 66 706) were included in the study. Statistical analysis was performed from November 1, 2021, to May 16, 2022.

EXPOSURES

New use of benzodiazepine treatment or comparator pharmacologic treatments (defined as ≥1 year without a prescription for benzodiazepine or comparator medications).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Incident diagnosed drug overdoses were identified from inpatient and emergency department records within 6 months of treatment initiation. The propensity score-adjusted cumulative incidence of overdose and hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated with intention-to-treat (analyzed based on initial treatment) and as-treated analyses (added censoring at treatment discontinuation). Results were stratified by prior prescription opioid fill.

RESULTS

The cohort included 23 084 young people initiating benzodiazepine treatment (14 444 female participants [62.6%]; mean [SD] age, 23 [4.1] years) and 66 706 initiating a comparator treatment (38 446 female participants [57.6%]; mean [SD] age, 22 [4.4] years). Six months after treatment initiation, 9.7% (95% CI, 9.3%-10.1%) of benzodiazepine users and 12.3% (95% CI, 12.1%-12.6%) of the comparator group were still receiving treatment. The crude incidence of drug overdose at 6 months was 0.9% for benzodiazepine initiators and 0.8% for comparator treatment initiators. In adjusted analyses, an increased risk of drug overdose was associated with benzodiazepines vs comparator treatments (intention-to-treat analysis: HR, 1.25 [95% CI, 1.03-1.51]; as-treated analysis: HR, 1.44 [95% CI, 1.14-1.80]). This association was stronger among young people with a recent prescription opioid fill vs those without a recent prescription opioid fill (as-treated analysis: adjusted HR, 2.01 [95% CI, 1.24-3.25] vs adjusted HR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.00-1.70]).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The findings of this study suggest that benzodiazepines, compared with alternative pharmacologic treatments for common sleep disorders, were associated with an increased risk of drug overdose among young people during the following 6-month period, especially among those with a recent opioid prescription. Drug overdose is an important safety consideration when treating young people with benzodiazepines.

No association between initiation of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and risk of incident Alzheimer's disease and related dementia: results from the Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimer's Medicines study

We evaluated the hypothesis that phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, including sildenafil and tadalafil, may be associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia using a patient-level cohort study of Medicare claims and cell culture-based phenotypic assays. We compared incidence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia after phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor initiation versus endothelin receptor antagonist initiation among patients with pulmonary hypertension after controlling for 76 confounding variables through propensity score matching. Across four separate analytic approaches designed to address specific types of biases including informative censoring, reverse causality, and outcome misclassification, we observed no evidence for a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors;hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.99 (0.69-1.43), 1.00 (0.71-1.42), 0.67 (0.43-1.06), and 1.15 (0.57-2.34). We also did not observe evidence that sildenafil ameliorated molecular abnormalities relevant to Alzheimer's disease in most cell culture-based phenotypic assays. These results do not provide support to the hypothesis that phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors are promising repurposing candidates for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.

Trends in Prescribing Preferences for Antidiabetic Medications Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes in the U.K. With and Without Chronic Kidney Disease, 2006-2020

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate trends in antidiabetic medication initiation patterns among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with and without chronic kidney disease (CKD).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A retrospective cohort study using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (2006-2020) was conducted to evaluate the overall, first-, and second line (after metformin) medication initiation patterns among patients with CKD (n = 38,622) and those without CKD (n = 230,963) who had T2DM.

RESULTS

Relative to other glucose-lowering therapies, metformin initiations declined overall but remained the first-line treatment of choice for both patients with and those without CKD. Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2i) use increased modestly among patients with CKD, but this increase was more pronounced among patients without CKD; by 2020, patients without CKD, compared with patients with CKD, were three (28.5% vs. 9.4%) and six (46.3% vs. 7.9%) times more likely to initiate SGLT2i overall and as second-line therapy, respectively. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) use was minimal regardless of CKD status (<5%), whereas both dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP4i) and sulfonylurea use remained high among patients with CKD. For instance, by 2020, and among patients with CKD, DPP4i and sulfonylureas constituted 28.3% and 20.6% of all initiations, and 57.4% and 30.3% of second-line initiations, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

SGLT2i use increased among patients with T2DM, but this increase was largely driven by patients without CKD. Work is needed to identify barriers associated with the uptake of therapies with proven cardiorenal benefits (e.g., SGLT2i, GLP-1RA) among patients with CKD.

Do coronavirus vaccine challenge trials have a distinctive generalisability problem?

Notwithstanding the success of conventional field trials for vaccines against COVID-19, human challenge trials (HCTs) that could obtain more information about these and about other vaccines and further strategies against it are about to start in the UK. One critique of COVID-19 HCTs is their distinct paucity of information on crucial population groups. For safety reasons, these HCTs will exclude candidate participants of advanced age or with comorbidities that worsen COVID-19, yet a vaccine should (perhaps especially) protect such populations. We turn this cliché on its head. The truth is that either an HCT or a field trial has intrinsic generalisability limitations, that an HCT can expedite protection of high-risk participants even without challenging them with the virus, and that an important route to obtaining results generalisable to high-risk groups under either strategy is facilitated by HCTs.

Comparative Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated With Targeted Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Agents

IMPORTANCE

Cytokine signaling, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-6, through the Janus-kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathway, was hypothesized to attenuate the risk of Alzheimer disease and related dementia (ADRD) in the Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimer Medicines (DREAM) initiative based on multiomics phenotyping.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between treatment with tofacitinib, tocilizumab, or TNF inhibitors compared with abatacept and risk of incident ADRD.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study was conducted among US Medicare fee-for-service patients with rheumatoid arthritis aged 65 years and older from 2007 to 2017. Patients were categorized into 3 cohorts based on initiation of tofacitinib (a JAK inhibitor), tocilizumab (an IL-6 inhibitor), or TNF inhibitors compared with a common comparator abatacept (a T-cell activation inhibitor). Analyses were conducted from August 2020 to August 2021.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The main outcome was onset of ADRD based on diagnosis codes evaluated in 4 alternative analysis schemes: (1) an as-treated follow-up approach, (2) an as-started follow-up approach incorporating a 6-month induction period, (3) incorporating a 6-month symptom to diagnosis period to account for misclassification of ADRD onset, and (4) identifying ADRD through symptomatic prescriptions and diagnosis codes. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were calculated from Cox proportional hazard regression after adjustment for 79 preexposure characteristics through propensity score matching.

RESULTS

After 1:1 propensity score matching to patients using abatacept, a total of 22 569 propensity score-matched patient pairs, including 4224 tofacitinib pairs (mean [SD] age 72.19 [5.65] years; 6945 [82.2%] women), 6369 tocilizumab pairs (mean [SD] age 72.01 [5.46] years; 10 105 [79.4%] women), and 11 976 TNF inhibitor pairs (mean [SD] age 72.67 [5.91] years; 19 710 [82.3%] women), were assessed. Incidence rates of ADRD varied from 2 to 18 per 1000 person-years across analyses schemes. There were no statistically significant associations of ADRD with tofacitinib (analysis 1: HR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.55-1.51]; analysis 2: HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.53-1.13]; analysis 3: HR, 1.29 [95% CI, 0.72-2.33]; analysis 4: HR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.21-1.20]), tocilizumab (analysis 1: HR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.55-1.21]; analysis 2: HR, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.81-1.35]; analysis 3: HR, 1.21 [95% CI, 0.75-1.96]; analysis 4: HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.44-1.39]), or TNF inhibitors (analysis 1: HR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.72-1.20]; analysis 2: HR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.86-1.20]; analysis 3: HR, 1.13 [95% CI, 0.86-1.48]; analysis 4: 0.90 [95% CI, 0.60-1.37]) compared with abatacept. Results from prespecified subgroup analysis by age, sex, and baseline cardiovascular disease were consistent except in patients with cardiovascular disease, for whom there was a potentially lower risk of ADRD with TNF inhibitors vs abatacept, but only in analyses 2 and 4 (analysis 1: HR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.50-1.16]; analysis 2: HR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.56-0.99]; analysis 3: HR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.65-1.61]; analysis 4: HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.21-0.98]).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This cohort study did not find any association of risk of ADRD in patients treated with tofacitinib, tocilizumab, or TNF inhibitors compared with abatacept.

Pandemic vaccine testing: combining conventional and challenge studies

Early into COVID, human challenge trials were considered, but usually as alternatives to conventional randomized controlled trials. Instead, assessment of authorized COVID vaccines, of further COVID vaccines, and of vaccines against future pandemics should combine both designs, in five different ways, including a wholly novel one that we elaborate, Viz., combining data from both designs to answer a single question.

Association of ECT With Risks of All-Cause Mortality and Suicide in Older Medicare Patients

OBJECTIVE

This observational study examined the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on suicide and all-cause mortality risk in older psychiatric patients.

METHODS

Participants were Medicare-insured psychiatric inpatients age 65 or older. Patients receiving ECT were exact-matched to control subjects (in a 1:3 ratio) on age, gender, principal hospital diagnosis, past-year psychiatric hospitalizations, past-year suicide attempts, and Elixhauser comorbidity index. Cox proportional hazard models were risk-adjusted for race, year of hospitalization, rural-urban continuum code, year of index hospitalization, median income of zip code, and all matched covariates to estimate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

A total of 10,460 patients in the ECT group and 31,160 in the control group were included in the analyses (total N=41,620; 65.4% female; mean age, 74.7 years [SD=7.09]). Compared with the control group, patients receiving ECT had lower all-cause mortality for up to 1 year following hospital discharge (adjusted hazard ratio=0.61, 95% CI=0.56, 0.66). For death by suicide, 1-year survival analysis showed no group difference. A significant association was observed with suicide in the first months following ECT, but this pattern waned over time (1 month: hazard ratio=0.44, 95% CI=0.21, 0.91; 2 months: hazard ratio=0.52, 95% CI=0.29, 0.92; 3 months: hazard ratio=0.56, 95% CI=0.37, 0.92; 6 months: 0.87, 95% CI=0.59, 1.28; 12 months: 0.92, 95% CI=0.68, 1.25).

CONCLUSIONS

In this observational study, ECT was associated with lower 1-year all-cause mortality and with short-lived protective effects on suicide risk. These findings support greater consideration of ECT for inpatients with mood disorders at short-term risk of suicide.

Simultaneous Benzodiazepine and SSRI Initiation in Young People With Anxiety Disorders

Objective: There are potential risks and benefits of combining benzodiazepine (BZD) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy at anxiety disorder treatment onset. We investigated how often adolescents and young adults with anxiety disorders simultaneously initiate BZD treatment with SSRI treatment and examined whether SSRI treatment duration varies by simultaneous BZD initiation. Methods: In a United States commercial claims database (January 2008-December 2016), we identified adolescents (10-17 years) and young adults (18-24 years) with ICD-9-CM/ICD-10-CM anxiety disorder diagnoses initiating SSRI treatment, without past-year SSRI and BZD treatment. We defined simultaneous initiation as filling a new BZD prescription on the date of SSRI initiation. We estimated time to SSRI treatment discontinuation and used stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting for adjusted estimates. Results: The study included 94,399 adolescents and 130,971 young adults initiating SSRI treatment with an anxiety disorder. Four percent of adolescents and 17% of young adults simultaneously initiated BZD treatment, varying by age, anxiety disorder, comorbidities, health care utilization, and provider type. Simultaneous BZD initiation among SSRI initiators declined from 2008 to 2016. SSRI treatment duration was similar in initiators of simultaneous therapy vs SSRI monotherapy: ≥ 6 months in adolescents (55% vs 56%, respectively) and in young adults (39% vs 40%). Nine percent of simultaneous initiators continued BZDs for ≥ 6 months. Conclusions: Simultaneous initiation of BZD and SSRI treatment is relatively common in young adults with anxiety disorders and was not associated with longer SSRI persistence. Given risks of BZD treatment, potential benefits and risks of adding a BZD at SSRI treatment initiation must be carefully weighed.

Mortality Risk of Antipsychotic Augmentation for Adult Depression

(Reprinted with permission from PLOS ONE 2020).

Medication Use for ADHD and the Risk of Driving Citations and Crashes Among Teenage Drivers: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Objectives: To evaluate the real-world effectiveness of ADHD medications on adverse driving outcomes in teenage drivers with ADHD. Method: We retrospectively followed 15- to 20-year-old ADHD patients with valid driver's license to compare the risk for crashes and citations between periods with and without ADHD medication use, using Florida Medicaid records linked to Department of Motor Vehicles data from 1999 to 2004. Patient-level demographic, clinical, and driver licensing characteristics as well as county-level crash and traffic statistics were adjusted in Cox models. Results: A total of 2,049 patients had 67 crashes and 319 citations. Adjusted hazard ratios comparing ADHD medication use versus no use were 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.66, 1.90]) and 0.89 (95% CI = [0.69, 1.13]) for crashes and citations, respectively. Conclusion: Our study showed no evidence that ADHD medication use was associated with a reduced risk of adverse driving outcomes among teenage drivers enrolled in Medicaid programs. Limitations in interpreting this finding are presented.

Suicide Risk in Medicare Patients With Schizophrenia Across the Life Span

Importance

Although adults with schizophrenia have an increased risk of suicide, sample size limitations of previous research have hindered characterizations of suicide risk across the life span.

Objective

To describe suicide mortality rates and correlates among adults with schizophrenia across the life span and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for suicide compared with the general US population.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Five national retrospective longitudinal cohorts of patients with schizophrenia in the Medicare program from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016, were identified by age: 18 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, and 65 years or older. Death record information was obtained from the National Death Index. The total cohort included 668 836 Medicare patients with schizophrenia, 2 997 308 years of follow-up, and 2218 suicide deaths. Data were analyzed from September 30, 2020, to March 10, 2021.

Main Outcomes and Measures

For each age group, suicide mortality rates per 100 000 person-years and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% CIs of suicide were determined. Suicide SMRs were estimated for the total cohort and by sex and age cohorts standardized to the general US population by age, sex, and race/ethnicity.

Results

The study population of adults 18 years and older included 668 836 Medicare recipients with schizophrenia (52.5% men, 47.5% women). The total suicide rate per 100 000 person-years was 74.00, which is 4.5 times higher than that for the general US population (SMR, 4.54; 95% CI, 4.35-4.73) and included a rate of 88.96 for men and 56.33 for women, which are 3.4 (SMR, 3.39; 95% CI, 3.22-3.57) and 8.2 (SMR, 8.16; 95% CI, 7.60-8.75) times higher, respectively, than the rates for the general US population. Suicide rates were significantly higher for men (aHR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.29-1.61) and those with depressive (aHR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.17-1.50), anxiety (aHR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.02-1.30), drug use (aHR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.36-1.76), and sleep disorders (aHR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.07-1.39), suicidal ideation (aHR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.22-1.63), and suicide attempts or self-injury (aHR, 2.48; 95% CI, 2.06-2.98). The adjusted hazards of suicide were lower for Hispanic patients (aHR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.54-0.80) or Black patients (aHR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.24-0.35) than White patients. The suicide rate declined with age, from 141.95 (SMR, 10.19; 95% CI, 9.29-11.18) for patients aged 18 to 34 years to 24.01 (SMR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.32-1.77) for patients 65 years or older. The corresponding declines per 100 000 person-years were from 153.80 (18-34 years of age) to 34.17 (65 years or older) for men and from 115.70 (18-34 years of age) to 18.66 (65 years or older) for women. In the group aged 18 to 34 years, the adjusted hazards of suicide risk were significantly increased for patients with suicide attempt or self-injury (aHR, 2.57; 95% CI, 18.20-2.04) and with comorbid drug use disorders (aHR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.17-1.88), but not with comorbid depressive disorders (aHR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.38-1.26) during the year before the start of follow-up.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cohort study of adult Medicare patients with schizophrenia, suicide risk was elevated, with the highest absolute and relative risk among young adults. These patterns support suicide prevention efforts with a focus on young adults with schizophrenia, especially those with suicidal symptoms and substance use.

Risk of clinically relevant hyperglycemia with metoprolol compared to carvedilol in older adults with heart failure and diabetes

BACKGROUND

Although prior literature suggests that metoprolol may worsen glucose control compared to carvedilol, whether this has clinical relevance among older adults with diabetes and heart failure (HF) remains an open question.

METHODS

This was a US retrospective cohort study utilizing data sourced from a 50% national sample of Medicare fee-for-service claims of patients with part D prescription drug coverage (2007-2017). Among patients with diabetes and HF, we identified initiators of metoprolol or carvedilol, which were 1:1 propensity score matched on >90 variables. The primary outcome was initiation of a new oral or injectable antidiabetic medication (proxy for uncontrolled diabetes); secondary outcomes included initiation of insulin and severe hyperglycemic event (composite of emergency room visits or hospitalizations related to hyperglycemia).

RESULTS

Among 24 239 propensity score-matched pairs (mean [SD] age 77.7 [8.0] years; male [39.1%]), there were 8150 (incidence rate per 100 person-years [IR] = 33.5) episodes of antidiabetic medication initiation among metoprolol users (exposure arm) compared to 8576 (IR = 33.4) among carvedilol users (comparator arm) compared to corresponding to an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94, 1.01). Similarly, metoprolol was not associated with a significant increase in the risk of secondary outcomes including insulin initiation: aHR of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.04) and severe hyperglycemic events: aHR of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.02).

CONCLUSIONS

In this large study of older adults with HF and diabetes, initiation of metoprolol compared to carvedilol was not associated with an increase in the risk of clinically relevant hyperglycemia.

Age-Specific Prevalence and Incidence of Dementia Diagnoses Among Older US Adults With Schizophrenia

IMPORTANCE

People with schizophrenia are at high risk of receiving a diagnosis of dementia. Understanding the magnitude and timing of this increased risk has important implications for practice and policy.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the age-specific incidence and prevalence of dementia diagnoses among older US adults with schizophrenia and in a comparison group without serious mental illness (SMI).

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This retrospective cohort study used a 50% random national sample of Medicare beneficiaries 66 years or older with fee-for-service plans and Part D prescription drug coverage from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2017. The cohort with schizophrenia included adults with at least 12 months of continuous enrollment in fee-for-service Medicare and Part D and at least 2 outpatient claims or at least 1 inpatient claim for schizophrenia during the qualifying years. The comparison group included adults with at least 12 months of continuous enrollment in fee-for-service Medicare and Part D and without a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or recurrent major depressive disorder during the qualifying year. Data were analyzed from January 1 to July 31, 2020.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Dementia was defined using the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Chronic Conditions Warehouse diagnosis codes for Alzheimer disease and related disorders or senile dementia. Incident diagnoses were defined by at least 12 consecutive eligible months without a qualifying code before meeting dementia criteria.

RESULTS

The study population of 8 011 773 adults 66 years or older (63.4% women; mean [SD] age, 74.0 [8.2] years) included 74 170 individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (56.6% women) and 7 937 603 without an SMI diagnosis (63.5% women) who contributed 336 814 and 55 499 543 person-years of follow-up, respectively. At 66 years of age, the prevalence of diagnosed dementia was 27.9% (17 640 of 63 287) among individuals with schizophrenia compared with 1.3% (31 295 of 2 389 512) in the group without SMI. By 80 years of age, the prevalence of dementia diagnoses was 70.2% (2011 of 2866) in the group with schizophrenia and 11.3% (242 094 of 2 134 602) in the group without SMI. The annual incidence of dementia diagnoses per 1000 person-years at 66 years of age was 52.5 (95% CI, 50.1-54.9) among individuals with schizophrenia and 4.5 (95% CI, 4.4-4.6) among individuals without SMI and increased to 216.2 (95% CI, 179.9-252.6) and 32.3 (95% CI, 32.0-32.6), respectively, by 80 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this cohort study, compared with older adults without SMI, those with schizophrenia had increased risk of receiving a diagnosis of dementia across a wide age range, possibly because of cognitive and functional deterioration related to schizophrenia or factors contributing to other types of dementia. High rates of dementia among adults with schizophrenia have implications for the course of illness, treatment, and service use.

Pharmacoepidemiology: A time for a new multidisciplinary approach to precision medicine

The advent of the genomic age has created a rapid increase in complexity for the development and selection of drug treatments. A key component of precision medicine is the use of genetic information to improve therapeutic effectiveness of drugs and prevent potential adverse drug reactions. Pharmacoepidemiology, as a field, uses observational methods to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drug treatments in populations. Pharmacoepidemiology by virtue of its focus, tradition, and research orientation can provide appropriate study designs and analysis methods for precision medicine. The objective of this manuscript is to demonstrate how pharmacoepidemiology can impact and shape precision medicine and serve as a reference for pharmacoepidemiologists interested in contributing to the science of precision medicine. This paper depicts the state of the science with respect to the need for pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoepidemiological methods, tools and approaches for precision medicine; the need for and how pharmacoepidemiologists use their skills to engage with the precision medicine community; and recommendations for moving the science of precision medicine pharmacoepidemiology forward. We propose a new integrated multidisciplinary approach dedicated to the emerging science of precision medicine pharmacoepidemiology.

Outpatient prescribing of opioids to adults diagnosed with mental disorders in the United States

BACKGROUND

Adults with mood and anxiety disorders have an increased likelihood of being prescribed opioids. The influence of other mental disorders, such as psychotic and attention disorders, on opioid prescribing patterns is less known.

METHODS

We studied a population-representative sample of 166,927 outpatient visits for adults with painful conditions from the 2002-2016 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the 2002-2011 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Logistic regression analyses examined the likelihood of opioid prescription among visits with specific mental disorder diagnoses (anxiety, attention, mood, psychotic, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), opioid use, and non-opioid substance use), adjusted for covariates and weighted for the complex survey design. Secondary analyses stratified results by whether opioids were newly initiated or continued.

RESULTS

Opioids were prescribed at 16.8 % of visits. Mood, anxiety, and non-opioid substance use disorders were associated with higher likelihoods of opioid prescriptions, particularly for continued rather than first-time prescriptions. Psychotic disorders were strongly negatively associated with opioid prescriptions (adjusted odds ratio 0.44, 95 % CI 0.22-0.86). Diagnoses of PTSD and attention disorders were not associated with opioid prescribing.

CONCLUSIONS

Outpatient physicians are more likely to prescribe and refill opioids for adults with pain who present with mood, anxiety, and non-opioid substance use disorders, but not for those who present with PTSD or attention disorders. Patients with psychotic disorders and pain are markedly less likely to be prescribed opioids.

Targeting abnormal metabolism in Alzheimer's disease: The Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimer's Medicines (DREAM) study

Drug discovery for disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) based on the traditional paradigm of experimental animal models has been disappointing. We describe the rationale and design of the Drug Repurposing for Effective Alzheimer's Medicines (DREAM) study, an innovative multidisciplinary alternative to traditional drug discovery. First, we use a systems biology perspective in the "hypothesis generation" phase to identify metabolic abnormalities that may either precede or interact with the accumulation of ADRD neuropathology, accelerating the expression of clinical symptoms of the disease. Second, in the "hypothesis refinement" phase we propose use of large patient cohorts to test whether drugs approved for other indications that also target metabolic drivers of ADRD pathogenesis might alter the trajectory of the disease. We emphasize key challenges in population-based pharmacoepidemiologic studies aimed at quantifying the association between medication use and ADRD onset and outline robust causal inference principles to safeguard against common pitfalls. Candidate ADRD treatments emerging from this approach will hold promise as plausible disease-modifying therapies for evaluation in randomized controlled trials.

Mortality risk of antipsychotic augmentation for adult depression

Importance

Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated increased all-cause mortality in elderly patients with dementia treated with newer antipsychotics. It is unknown whether this risk generalizes to non-elderly adults using newer antipsychotics as augmentation treatment for depression.

Objective

This study examined all-cause mortality risk of newer antipsychotic augmentation for adult depression.

Design

Population-based new-user/active comparator cohort study.

Setting

National healthcare claims data from the US Medicaid program from 2001–2010 linked to the National Death Index.

Participants

Non-elderly adults (25–64 years) diagnosed with depression who after ≥3 months of antidepressant monotherapy initiated either augmentation with a newer antipsychotic or with a second antidepressant. Patients with alternative indications for antipsychotic medications, such as schizophrenia, psychotic depression, or bipolar disorder, were excluded.

Exposure

Augmentation treatment for depression with a newer antipsychotic or with a second antidepressant.

Main outcome

All-cause mortality during study follow-up ascertained from the National Death Index.

Results

The analytic cohort included 39,582 patients (female = 78.5%, mean age = 44.5 years) who initiated augmentation with a newer antipsychotic (n = 22,410; 40% = quetiapine, 21% = risperidone, 17% = aripiprazole, 16% = olanzapine) or with a second antidepressant (n = 17,172). The median chlorpromazine equivalent starting dose for all newer antipsychotics was 68mg/d, increasing to 100 mg/d during follow-up. Altogether, 153 patients died during 13,328 person-years of follow-up (newer antipsychotic augmentation: n = 105, follow-up = 7,601 person-years, mortality rate = 138.1/10,000 person-years; antidepressant augmentation: n = 48, follow-up = 5,727 person-years, mortality rate = 83.8/10,000 person-years). An adjusted hazard ratio of 1.45 (95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 2.06) indicated increased all-cause mortality risk for newer antipsychotic augmentation compared to antidepressant augmentation (risk difference = 37.7 (95%CI, 1.7 to 88.8) per 10,000 person-years). Results were robust across several sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

Augmentation with newer antipsychotics in non-elderly patients with depression was associated with increased mortality risk compared with adding a second antidepressant. Though these findings require replication and cannot prove causality, physicians managing adults with depression should be aware of this potential for increased mortality associated with newer antipsychotic augmentation.

Benzodiazepine Treatment and Fracture Risk in Young Persons With Anxiety Disorders

BACKGROUND

Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed to treat anxiety disorders and have been associated with falls and fractures in older adults. It is unknown whether benzodiazepines increase fracture risk in youth. We examined whether youth with anxiety disorders initiating benzodiazepine treatment have an increased risk of fractures compared with youth initiating selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

METHODS

We used claims from commercially insured children (6-17 years) and young adults (18-24) with a recent anxiety disorder diagnosis, initiating benzodiazepines or SSRIs (2008-2016). Youth were followed until fracture, treatment discontinuation or switching, disenrollment, 3 months, or December 31, 2016. The primary end point was diagnostic codes for upper and lower limb fractures. Incident fracture rates, incident rate ratios (IRRs), and incident rate differences (IRDs) were estimated with propensity score inverse probability of treatment weighting.

RESULTS

The cohort included 120 715 children and 179 768 young adults. In children, crude fracture rates during treatment were 33.1 per 1000 person-years (PYs) for benzodiazepine initiators and 25.1 per 1000 PYs for SSRI initiators. Adjusted IRR and IRD were 1.53 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94-2.50) and 13.4 per 1000 PYs. Risk was heightened in children initiating long-acting benzodiazepines versus SSRIs (adjusted IRR = 2.30 [95% CI: 1.08-4.91]). Fracture rates were lower in young adults, with minimal differences between treatments (adjusted IRR = 0.85 [95% CI: 0.57-1.27]; adjusted IRD = -1.3 per 1000 PYs).

CONCLUSIONS

An increased rate of fractures in children, but not young adults, with anxiety disorders initiating benzodiazepine treatment compared to SSRI treatment suggests a need for increased caution in the weeks after benzodiazepine initiation in children.

[Validation of the geriatrie-check for identification of geriatric patients in emergency departments]

Hintergrund

Der Geriatrie-Check wurde im Rahmen des Geriatriekonzept Baden-Württemberg zur Identifikation geriatrischer Patienten in der Notaufnahme entwickelt.

Ziel

Bestimmung der konvergenten und prädiktiven Validität des Geriatrie-Checks zu Identifikation und Verlaufsprädiktion geriatrischer Patienten in der Notaufnahme.

Material und Methoden

Prospektive Kohortenstudie zwischen November 2015 und April 2016 mit 146 Patienten, älter als 70 Jahre, der internistischen Notaufnahme der Uniklinik Ulm. Getrennte Erhebung durch Ärzte und Pflegende: Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR), Geriatrie-Check, weitere kognitive und funktionelle Assessments und als Endpunkte: Veränderung von Pflegestufe, Barthel-Index, Wohnform.

Ergebnisse

Der ISAR klassifizierte n =117 Patienten als geriatrisch, der Geriatrie-Check n =107. Die Übereinstimmung betrug 78,1 %. Mit dem ISAR als Goldstandard zeigte der Geriatrie-Check eine Sensitivität von 82,0 % und eine Spezifität von 62,1 %. Der positiv- bzw. negativ-prädiktive Wert lag bei 89,7 % bzw. 46,1 %. Mit dem ISAR als Goldstandard war die Einschätzung der Pflege präziser als die der Ärzte überlegen (Sensitivität 70,5 % vs. 58 %; Spezifität 88,9 % vs. 83,3 %). Die prädiktive Validität 5 Monate nach Aufnahme bezüglich oben genannter Endpunkte war am besten für die Einschätzung durch Pflege und Ärzte (insbesondere die Spezifität). Beide Tests waren sehr sensitiv, aber wenig spezifisch.

Diskussion

Der Geriatrie-Check ist dem ISAR vergleichbar. Die konvergente Validität unterscheidet sich nur wenig. Beide, ISAR und Geriatrie-Check, sind etwas sensitiver als Ärzte und Pflege. Bezüglich der prädiktiven Validität sind Ärzte und Pflege den Scores überlegen. Ein Algorithmus aus ISAR oder Geriatrie-Check mit nachfolgender Einschätzung durch Arzt oder Pflege könnte sich für eine bedarfsgerechte Ressourcenallokation am besten eignen.

Trends in Off-Label Drug Use in Ambulatory Settings: 2006-2015

BACKGROUND

Off-label drug use in children is common and potentially harmful. In most previous off-label use research, authors studied hospitalized children, specific drug classes, or non-US settings. We characterized frequencies, trends, and reasons for off-label systemic drug orders for children in ambulatory US settings.

METHODS

Using nationally representative surveys of office-based physicians (National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys, 2006-2015), we studied off-label orders of systemic drugs for children age <18 based on US Food and Drug Administration-approved labeling for age, weight, and indication. We characterized the top classes and diagnoses with off-label orders and analyzed factors and trends of off-label orders using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Physicians ordered ≥1 off-label systemic drug at 18.5% (95% confidence interval: 17.7%-19.3%) of visits, usually (74.6%) because of unapproved conditions. Off-label ordering was most common proportionally in neonates (83%) and in absolute terms among adolescents (322 orders out of 1000 visits). Off-label ordering was associated with female sex, subspecialists, polypharmacy, and chronic conditions. Rates and reasons for off-label orders varied considerably by age. Relative and absolute rates of off-label orders rose over time. Among common classes, off-label orders for antihistamines and several psychotropics increased over time, whereas off-label orders for several classes of antibiotics were stable or declined.

CONCLUSIONS

US office-based physicians have ordered systemic drugs off label for children at increasing rates, most often for unapproved conditions, despite recent efforts to increase evidence and drug approvals for children. These findings can help inform education, research, and policies around effective, safe use of medications in children.

Trends in Cough and Cold Medicine Recommendations for Children in the United States, 2002-2015

This study analyzes trends in physicians’ recommendations for cough and cold medicine for children in the United States between 2002 and 2015.

Comparative Effectiveness of Adjunctive Psychotropic Medications in Patients With Schizophrenia

IMPORTANCE

People with schizophrenia are commonly treated with psychotropic medications in addition to antipsychotics, but there is little evidence about the comparative effectiveness of these adjunctive treatment strategies.

OBJECTIVE

To study the comparative real-world effectiveness of adjunctive psychotropic treatments for patients with schizophrenia.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This comparative effectiveness study used US national Medicaid data from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010, to examine the outcomes of initiating treatment with an antidepressant, a benzodiazepine, a mood stabilizer, or another antipsychotic among adult outpatients (aged 18-64 years) diagnosed with schizophrenia who were stably treated with a single antipsychotic. Data analysis was performed from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate propensity scores to balance covariates across the 4 medication groups. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to compare treatment outcomes during 365 days on an intention-to-treat basis.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Risk of hospitalization for a mental disorder (primary), emergency department (ED) visits for a mental disorder, and all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

The study cohort included 81 921 adult outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean [SD] age, 40.7 [12.4] years; 37 515 women [45.8%]) who were stably treated with a single antipsychotic and then initiated use of an antidepressant (n = 31 117), a benzodiazepine (n = 11 941), a mood stabilizer (n = 12 849), or another antipsychotic (n = 26 014) (reference treatment). Compared with initiating use of another antipsychotic, initiating use of an antidepressant was associated with a lower risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.80-0.88) of psychiatric hospitalization, whereas initiating use of a benzodiazepine was associated with a higher risk (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.15); the risk associated with initiating use of a mood stabilizer (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.94-1.03) was not significantly different from initiating use of another antipsychotic. A similar pattern of associations was observed in psychiatric ED visits for initiating use of an antidepressant (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.96), a benzodiazepine (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07-1.19), and a mood stabilizer (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.94-1.04). Initiating use of a mood stabilizer was associated with an increased risk of mortality (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04-1.66).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In the treatment of schizophrenia, initiating adjunctive treatment with an antidepressant was associated with reduced risk of psychiatric hospitalization and ED visits compared with initiating use of alternative psychotropic medications. Associations of benzodiazepines and mood stabilizers with poorer outcomes warrant clinical caution and further investigation.

Psychotropic Medication Use Among Adults With Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder in the United States

OBJECTIVE

The authors examined the use of different classes of psychotropic medication in outpatient treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

METHODS

Data from the United States Medicaid program were used to examine psychotropic medication use in a cohort of patients who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in the calendar year 2010.

RESULTS

The cohort of Medicaid recipients who filled one or more prescriptions for a psychotropic medication in 2010 included 116,249 patients classified as having schizophrenia and 84,537 classified as having schizoaffective disorder. During 2010, 86.1% of patients with schizoaffective disorder and 70.1% with schizophrenia were treated with two or more different classes of psychotropic.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychotropic medications other than antipsychotics were commonly prescribed for individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Their widespread use and uncertainty about their net benefits signal a need for research on their efficacy, safety, and appropriate use in these conditions.

Risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss in adults using phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors: Population-based cohort study

PURPOSE

The objective of the study was to determine the risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) associated with use of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study in the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database including adult men who initiated a PDE5 inhibitor (n = 377,722) and 1,957,233 nonusers between 1998 and 2007. Periods of drug exposure were assessed on a weekly basis based on pharmacy billing records, assuming use of 1 dose per week (current use). Incident sudden SNHL was defined based on inpatient or outpatient visits with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes 389.1x, 389.2x, or 388.2 plus ≥2 procedure codes for audiometric hearing testing within ±30 days of sudden SNHL diagnosis. We used age- and propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate the risk of sudden SNHL during periods of current or recent use compared with that of nonuse. We conducted sensitivity analyses by varying the assumed drug utilization frequency and sudden SNHL case definition.

RESULTS

We evaluated 1233 sudden SNHL cases, resulting in an incidence of 4.35, 5.58, and 2.38 per 10,000 person-years for current, recent, and nonuse of PDE5 inhibitors, respectively. Compared with nonuse, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.25 (1.01-1.55) for current use with a risk difference of 1.97 (1.12-2.82) per 10,000 person-years. For recent use, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.60 (1.33-1.94) and risk difference was 3.19 (2.24-4.14). Estimates were consistent across the sensitivity analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of PDE5 inhibitors is associated with a small but significantly increased risk of sudden SNHL.

Antipsychotic Medication Treatment Patterns in Adult Depression

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the role of antipsychotic medications in the community treatment of adult depression.

METHODS

We identified adults (aged 18-64 years) with new episodes of depression treatment (ICD-9-CM 296.2, 296.3, 300.4, or 311) in US national Medicaid data (2001-2010). Patients with alternative ICD-9-CM antipsychotic indications, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, were excluded. Each patient was followed for at least 1 year to characterize antipsychotic and antidepressant treatment and emerging alternative antipsychotic indications. For patients without alternative indications through day 45 following start of antipsychotic treatment, antipsychotics were considered to be intended for treatment of depression. Among this group, we determined whether antipsychotic initiation was preceded by minimally adequate treatment with antidepressants, defined as active antidepressant treatment for ≥ 31 days prior to and including the day of antipsychotic initiation.

RESULTS

Within 1 year following onset, 14.0% of patients started an antipsychotic medication. A total of 41.3% of antipsychotic initiators developed an antipsychotic indication other than depression through day 45 following antipsychotic initiation, most often bipolar disorder or depression with psychotic features. The remaining 58.7% of antipsychotic initiators presumably started antipsychotics for nonpsychotic depression. Of these, 71.3% did not have minimally adequate antidepressant treatment prior to starting the antipsychotic medication.

CONCLUSION

Antipsychotic medications are used in approximately 1 in 7 patients with a new episode of depression. For 1 in 12 patients, the antipsychotic was considered to be intended for nonpsychotic depression. Almost three-quarters of these patients did not receive minimally adequate treatment with antidepressants prior to antipsychotic initiation. This pattern suggests potentially inappropriate and premature initiation of a drug class with substantial adverse effects and medical risks.

Impact of the black triangle label on prescribing of new drugs in the United Kingdom: lessons for the United States at a time of deregulation

PURPOSE

Newly approved novel drugs in Europe receive a black triangle label to promote pharmacovigilance. With growing momentum for earlier drug approvals and reliance on real-world evidence, we studied if the black triangle label promotes more judicious prescribing.

METHODS

We examined whether general practitioners prescribed escitalopram, tadalafil, and vardenafil with a black triangle more cautiously than the same or similar drugs without a black triangle in The Health Improvement Network (UK). We performed interrupted time-series analyses to estimate changes in new prescription rates and nested case-control studies to compare characteristics of new users before and after removal of a black triangle.

RESULTS

Prescribing rates to the 33 441 new users of these new drugs were highest shortly after initial approval and declined subsequently; there were no increases in rates of new prescriptions after a black triangle's removal (new prescriptions/million/month postlabel: escitalopram -1.5 [95% CI, -1.9 to -1.2]; tadalafil and vardenafil: -0.1 [95% CI, -0.6 to 0.4]). Among drugs in the same class, loss of a patent had more impact on prescribing rates than loss of a black triangle. People who began taking black triangle drugs were less likely to be young or to have multiple comorbidities or recent hospitalization compared with those starting the same drugs after the label's removal. However, these differences generally reflected secular trends seen also in similar, unlabeled medicines.

CONCLUSIONS

Accelerated drug approvals could cause more uncertainty about drug effectiveness and safety, but specific labeling of newly approved medicines is unlikely to promote more judicious prescribing.

Suicide Following Deliberate Self-Harm

OBJECTIVE

The authors sought to identify risk factors for repeat self-harm and completed suicide over the following year among adults with deliberate self-harm.

METHOD

A national cohort of Medicaid-financed adults clinically diagnosed with deliberate self-harm (N=61,297) was followed for up to 1 year. Repeat self-harm per 1,000 person-years and suicide rates per 100,000 person-years (based on cause of death information from the National Death Index) were determined. Hazard ratios of repeat self-harm and suicide were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models.

RESULTS

During the 12 months after nonfatal self-harm, the rate of repeat self-harm was 263.2 per 1,000 person-years and the rate of completed suicide was 439.1 per 100,000 person-years, or 37.2 times higher than in a matched general population cohort. The hazard of suicide was higher after initial self-harm events involving violent as compared with nonviolent methods (hazard ratio=7.5, 95% CI=5.5-10.1), especially firearms (hazard ratio=15.86, 95% CI=10.7-23.4; computed with poisoning as reference), and to a lesser extent after events of patients who had recently received outpatient mental health care (hazard ratio=1.6, 95% CI=1.2-2.0). Compared with self-harm patients using nonviolent methods, those who used violent methods were at significantly increased risk of suicide during the first 30 days after the initial event (hazard ratio=17.5, 95% CI=11.2-27.3), but not during the following 335 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Adults treated for deliberate self-harm frequently repeat self-harm in the following year. Patients who use a violent method for their initial self-harm, especially firearms, have an exceptionally high risk of suicide, particularly right after the initial event, which highlights the importance of careful assessment and close follow-up of this group.

Comparative adherence to diabetes drugs: An analysis of electronic health records and claims data

Non-adherence to medications is a major challenge in diabetes care. The objective of this brief report is to compare adherence rates for 6 major classes of diabetes medications: metformin, sulfonylurea, thiazolidinedione, basal insulin, DPP-4 inhibitors, and GLP-1 receptor agonists. We used a data source that linked electronic prescriptions with insurance claims to assess whether new electronic prescriptions for diabetes medications were followed by dispensing claims consistent with that prescription. After one year of follow-up, the daily medication possession probability (MPP) - a measure of overall adherence - at one year for sulfonylurea was 0.49 and for metformin was 0.46. Thiazolidinediones and basal insulin had a similar final daily MPP at 0.36 and 0.39, respectively, which was significantly lower than that for sulfonylurea or metformin (P < .05). GLP-1 receptor agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors were also comparable to one another at a final daily MPP of .30 and .21, respectively (P < .05 compared to any of the aforementioned drug classes). In summary, the rates at which diabetes drugs are prescribed, and the rates at which patients actually take them, differ substantially. Physicians should be aware of potentially significant challenges concerning adherence to newer agents.

Differential Risk of Increasing Psychotropic Polypharmacy Use in Children Diagnosed With ADHD as Preschoolers

OBJECTIVE

To characterize treatment trajectories in children newly diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

METHODS

We utilized billing records of children aged 3 to 18 years in 28 US states' Medicaid programs between 1999 and 2006. Children entered the cohort at the first ADHD diagnosis (ICD-9-CM: 314.00) preceded by ≥ 6 months with no psychotropic medication use and no psychiatric diagnoses. We followed children for 5 years to assess use of (1) psychotropic polypharmacy (the use of ≥ 3 psychotropic medication classes), (2) antipsychotics, and (3) anticonvulsants. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to model the probability of each utilization outcome as a function of age at ADHD diagnosis and follow-up year, adjusted for sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 16,626 children of whom 79.2% received stimulants, 33.2% antidepressants, and 23.1% α-agonists, and 25.3% received psychotropic polypharmacy treatment at least once in a subsequent year. Antipsychotics (7.1%-14.7%), anticonvulsants (4.0%-7.9%), and psychotropic polypharmacy (8.5%-13.4%) use increased from year 1 to 5, but this increase was confined to children between ages 3 and 9 at ADHD diagnosis. Children diagnosed at age 3 had the most substantial increase in each outcome (OR = 1.80 [95% CI, 1.36-2.38]; 1.85 [1.38-2.47]; 2.14 [1.45-3.16]), respectively. Also, 39.1% of 9,680 children-years with psychotropic polypharmacy therapy had no psychiatric diagnoses other than ADHD.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychotropic polypharmacy, antipsychotic, and anticonvulsant use increased with each year of follow-up. This effect was strongly mediated by the age of ADHD diagnosis with substantial increases in preschoolers but no corresponding effect in older children. It was only partially explained by physician diagnoses of concomitant mental disorders.

Agreement and validity of electronic health record prescribing data relative to pharmacy claims data: A validation study from a US electronic health record database

BACKGROUND

Granular clinical and laboratory data available in electronic health record (EHR) databases provide researchers the opportunity to conduct investigations that would not be possible in insurance claims databases; however, for pharmacoepidemiology studies, accurate classification of medication exposure is critical.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of classifying medication exposure using EHR prescribing (EHR-Rx) data.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients with linked claims and EHR data in OptumLabs™ Data Warehouse. The agreement between EHR-Rx data and pharmacy claims (PC-Rx) data (for 40 medications) was determined using the positive predictive value (PPV) and medication possession ratio (MPR)-calculated in 1- and 12-month medication exposure periods (MEPs). Secondary analyses were restricted to incident vs prevalent EHR-Rxs, age ≥65 vs <65, white vs black race, males vs females, and number of EHR-Rxs.

RESULTS

The validity metrics varied substantially among the 40 medications assessed. Across all medications, the period PPV and MPR were 62% and 63% in the 1-month MEP. They were 78% and 43% in the 12-month MEP. Overall, PPV and MPR were higher for patients with a prevalent EHR-Rx and age <65.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite substantial variability among different medications, there was very good agreement between EHR-Rx data and PC-Rx data. To maximize the validity of classifying medication exposure with EHR prescribing data, researchers may consider using longer MEPs (eg, 12 months) and potentially require multiple EHR-Rxs to classify baseline medication exposure.

Extent, Time Course, and Moderators of Antipsychotic Treatment in Youth With Mood Disorders: Results of a Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression Analyses

OBJECTIVE

To meta-analytically examine the trends and correlates of antipsychotic use in youth with mood disorders.

METHODS

Systematic literature search without language restriction in PubMed/MEDLINE/PsycINFO from database inception through March 2015 using the following search terms: (antipsychotic* OR neuroleptic* OR "dopamine blocker*" OR antidopaminergic) AND (child* OR adolescen* OR pediatric OR youth) AND (prescription* OR prescrib* OR use OR utilization OR database OR pharmacoepidemiolog* OR frequency OR rate OR rates). Random effects meta-analysis and meta-regression analyses were conducted.

STUDY SELECTION

Included were studies reporting on the frequency of (1) mood disorders in antipsychotic-treated youth (≤ 19 years) and (2) antipsychotic use in youth with mood disorders.

DATA ABSTRACTION

Two independent investigators abstracted data on study, patient, and treatment characteristics.

RESULTS

Forty-one studies were meta-analyzed (N = 518,919, mean ± SD age = 12.8 ± 1.8 years, males = 65.7%). Altogether, 24.2% of antipsychotic-treated youth had a mood disorder diagnosis (studies = 34, depression spectrum disorder = 10.9%, bipolar spectrum disorder = 13.6%). In longitudinal studies, the overall proportion increased significantly from 17.3% in 2000 (range, 1996-2009) to 24.5% in 2006 (range, 2004-2011) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26-1.79; P < .0001). This increase was driven entirely by bipolar spectrum diagnoses (2001 = 11.1%, 2006 = 16.3%, P < .0001), rather than depression spectrum diagnoses (2001 = 9.1%, 2007 = 9.2%, P = .77). Among youth with mood disorders (8 studies), 24.0% received antipsychotics (depression spectrum disorder = 4.6%; bipolar spectrum disorder = 44.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of youth with mood disorder diagnoses increased significantly among antipsychotic-treated youth, driven entirely by an increase in youth with bipolar spectrum disorders. Progress in understanding the reasons for these trends and for an evaluation of the appropriateness of the observed antipsychotic prescribing requires more detailed information than is available in traditional pharmacoepidemiologic databases.

Short-term Suicide Risk After Psychiatric Hospital Discharge

IMPORTANCE

Although psychiatric inpatients are recognized to be at increased risk for suicide immediately after hospital discharge, little is known about the extent to which their short-term suicide risk varies across groups with major psychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the risk for suicide during the 90 days after hospital discharge for adults with first-listed diagnoses of depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder, and other mental disorders in relation to inpatients with diagnoses of nonmental disorders and the general population.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This national retrospective longitudinal cohort included inpatients aged 18 to 64 years in the Medicaid program who were discharged with a first-listed diagnosis of a mental disorder (depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorder, and other mental disorder) and a 10% random sample of inpatients with diagnoses of nonmental disorders. The cohort included 770 643 adults in the mental disorder cohort, 1 090 551 adults in the nonmental disorder cohort, and 370 deaths from suicide from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2007. Data were analyzed from March 5, 2015, to June 6, 2016.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Suicide rates per 100 000 person-years were determined for each study group during the 90 days after hospital discharge and the demographically matched US general population. Adjusted hazard ratios (ARHs) of short-term suicide after hospital discharge were also estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Information on suicide as a cause of death was obtained from the National Death Index.

RESULTS

In the overall population of 1 861 194 adults (27% men; 73% women; mean [SD] age, 35.4 [13.1] years), suicide rates for the cohorts with depressive disorder (235.1 per 100 000 person-years), bipolar disorder (216.0 per 100 000 person-years), schizophrenia (168.3 per 100 000 person-years), substance use disorder (116.5 per 100 000 person-years), and other mental disorders (160.4 per 100 000 person-years) were substantially higher than corresponding rates for the cohort with nonmental disorders (11.6 per 100 000 person-years) or the US general population (14.2 per 100 000 person-years). Among the cohort with mental disorders, AHRs of suicide were associated with inpatient diagnosis of depressive disorder (AHR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4-2.8; reference cohort, substance use disorder), an outpatient diagnosis of schizophrenia (AHR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2), an outpatient diagnosis of bipolar disorder (AHR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.1), and an absence of any outpatient health care in the 6 months preceding hospital admission (AHR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.5).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

After psychiatric hospital discharge, adults with complex psychopathologic disorders with prominent depressive features, especially patients who are not tied into a system of health care, appear to have a particularly high short-term risk for suicide.

Risk of Suicidal Events With Atomoxetine Compared to Stimulant Treatment: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Antidepressant effects on increased suicidality in children have raised public concern in recent years. Approved in 2002 for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment, the selective noradrenalin-reuptake-inhibitor atomoxetine was initially investigated for the treatment of depression. In post-hoc analyses of clinical trial data, atomoxetine has been associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation in children and adolescents. We analyzed whether the observed increased risk of suicidal ideation in clinical trials translates into an increased risk of suicidal events in pediatric patients treated with atomoxetine compared with stimulants in 26 Medicaid programs.

METHODS

Employing a retrospective cohort design, we used propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the risk of suicide and suicide attempt in pediatric patients initiating treatment with atomoxetine compared with stimulants from 2002 to 2006.

RESULTS

The first-line treatment cohort included 279 315 patients. During the first year of follow-up, the adjusted hazard ratio for current atomoxetine use compared with current stimulant use was 0.95 (95% CI 0.47-1.92, P = .88). The second-line treatment cohort included 220 215 patients. During the first year of follow-up, the adjusted hazard ratio for current atomoxetine use compared with current stimulant use was 0.71 (95% CI 0.30-1.67, P = .43).

CONCLUSIONS

First- and second-line treatment of youths age 5 to 18 with atomoxetine compared with stimulants was not significantly associated with an increased risk of suicidal events. The low incidence of suicide and suicide attempt resulted in wide confidence intervals and did not allow stratified analysis of high-risk groups or assessment of suicidal risk associated with long-term use of atomoxetine.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Youth Exposed to Antipsychotics: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Antipsychotics are used increasingly in youth for nonpsychotic and off-label indications, but cardiometabolic adverse effects and (especially) type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk have raised additional concern.

OBJECTIVE

To assess T2DM risk associated with antipsychotic treatment in youth.

DATA SOURCES

Systematic literature search of PubMed and PsycINFO without language restrictions from database inception until May 4, 2015. Data analyses were performed in July 2015, and additional analyses were added in November 2015.

STUDY SELECTION

Longitudinal studies reporting on T2DM incidence in youth 2 to 24 years old exposed to antipsychotics for at least 3 months.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Two independent investigators extracted study-level data for a random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression of T2DM risk.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The coprimary outcomes were study-defined T2DM, expressed as cumulative T2DM risk or as T2DM incidence rate per patient-years. Secondary outcomes included the comparison of the coprimary outcomes in antipsychotic-treated youth with psychiatric controls not receiving antipsychotics or with healthy controls.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 185,105 youth exposed to antipsychotics and 310,438 patient-years. The mean (SD) age of patients was 14.1 (2.1) years, and 59.5% were male. The mean (SD) follow-up was 1.7 (2.3) years. Among them, 7 studies included psychiatric controls (1,342,121 patients and 2,071,135 patient-years), and 8 studies included healthy controls (298,803 patients and 463,084 patient-years). Antipsychotic-exposed youth had a cumulative T2DM risk of 5.72 (95% CI, 3.45-9.48; P < .001) per 1000 patients. The incidence rate was 3.09 (95% CI, 2.35-3.82; P < .001) cases per 1000 patient-years. Compared with healthy controls, cumulative T2DM risk (odds ratio [OR], 2.58; 95% CI, 1.56-4.24; P < .0001) and incidence rate ratio (IRR) (IRR, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.71-5.35; P < .0001) were significantly greater in antipsychotic-exposed youth. Similarly, compared with psychiatric controls, antipsychotic-exposed youth had significantly higher cumulative T2DM risk (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.50-52.90; P < .0001) and IRR (IRR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.31-2.44; P < .0001). In multivariable meta-regression analyses of 10 studies, greater cumulative T2DM risk was associated with longer follow-up (P < .001), olanzapine prescription (P < .001), and male sex (P = .002) (r(2) = 1.00, P < .001). Greater T2DM incidence was associated with second-generation antipsychotic prescription (P ≤ .050) and less autism spectrum disorder diagnosis (P = .048) (r(2) = 0.21, P = .044).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Although T2DM seems rare in antipsychotic-exposed youth, cumulative risk and exposure-adjusted incidences and IRRs were significantly higher than in healthy controls and psychiatric controls. Olanzapine treatment and antipsychotic exposure time were the main modifiable risk factors for T2DM development in antipsychotic-exposed youth. Antipsychotics should be used judiciously and for the shortest necessary duration, and their efficacy and safety should be monitored proactively.

Comparative Effectiveness of Clozapine and Standard Antipsychotic Treatment in Adults With Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

The authors compared the effectiveness of initiating treatment with either clozapine or a standard antipsychotic among adults with evidence of treatment-resistant schizophrenia in routine clinical practice.

METHOD

U.S. national Medicaid data from 2001 to 2009 were used to examine treatment outcomes in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia and evidence of treatment resistance that initiated clozapine (N=3,123) and in a propensity score-matched cohort that initiated a standard antipsychotic (N=3,123). Interventions were new initiation of clozapine or a standard antipsychotic medication, defined as no exposure to the new medication in the prior 365 days. The primary outcome was hospital admission for a mental disorder. Secondary outcomes included discontinuation of the index antipsychotic, use of an additional antipsychotic, incidence of serious medical conditions, and mortality.

RESULTS

Initiation of clozapine was associated with a significantly decreased rate of psychiatric hospital admission (hazard ratio=0.78, 95% CI=0.69-0.88), index antipsychotic discontinuation (hazard ratio=0.60, 95% CI=0.55-0.65), and use of an additional antipsychotic (hazard ratio=0.76, 95% CI=0.70-0.82). Clozapine was associated with significantly increased incidence of diabetes mellitus (2.8% for clozapine vs. 1.4% for standard antipsychotic; hazard ratio=1.63, 95% CI=0.98-2.70), hyperlipidemia (12.9% for clozapine vs. 8.5% for standard antipsychotic; hazard ratio=1.40, 95%CI=1.09-1.78), and intestinal obstruction (0.9% for clozapine vs. 0.3% for standard antipsychotic; hazard ratio=2.50, 95% CI=0.97-6.44).

CONCLUSIONS

In adults with schizophrenia and evidence of treatment resistance, initiating clozapine compared with initiating a standard antipsychotic was associated with greater effectiveness on several important outcomes. Increasing the judicious use of clozapine is warranted together with vigilance to prevent and detect serious medical adverse effects.