Jens Bohlken

Risk factors for dementia diagnosis in German primary care practices.

BACKGROUND Dementia is a psychiatric condition the development of which is associated with numerous aspects of life. Our aim was to estimate dementia risk factors in German primary care patients. METHODS The case-control study included primary care patients (70-90 years) with first diagnosis of dementia (all-cause) during the index period (01/2010-12/2014) (Disease Analyzer, Germany), and controls without dementia matched (1:1) to cases on the basis of age, sex, type of health insurance, and physician. Practice visit records were used to verify that there had been 10 years of continuous follow-up prior to the index date. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted with dementia as a dependent variable and the potential predictors. RESULTS The mean age for the 11,956 cases and the 11,956 controls was 80.4 (SD: 5.3) years. 39.0% of them were male and 1.9% had private health insurance. In the multivariate regression model, the following variables were linked to a significant extent with an increased risk of dementia: diabetes (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.10-1.24), lipid metabolism (1.07; 1.00-1.14), stroke incl. TIA (1.68; 1.57-1.80), Parkinsons disease (PD) (1.89; 1.64-2.19), intracranial injury (1.30; 1.00-1.70), coronary heart disease (1.06; 1.00-1.13), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (2.12; 1.82-2.48), mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use (1.96; 1.50-2.57). The use of statins (OR: 0.94; 0.90-0.99), proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) (0.93; 0.90-0.97), and antihypertensive drugs (0.96, 0.94-0.99) were associated with a decreased risk of developing dementia. CONCLUSIONS Risk factors for dementia found in this study are consistent with the literature. Nevertheless, the associations between statin, PPI and antihypertensive drug use, and decreased risk of dementia need further investigations.

Pharmacotherapy of dementia in Germany: Results from a nationwide claims database.

In 2011, about 1.1-1.4 million patients with dementia were living in Germany, a number expected to rise to three million by 2050. Dementia poses a major challenge to the healthcare system and neuropharmacological service provision. The aim of this study was to determine prescription rates for anti-dementia drugs as well as for neuroleptics, sedative-hypnotics and antidepressants in dementia using the complete nationwide outpatient claims data pertaining to the services of statutory health insurance. We controlled for gender, age, dementia diagnosis, physician specialty (general practitioner GP versus neuropsychiatry specialist physician NPSP), and rural and urban living area. In about one million prevalent dementia patients (N=1,014,710) in 2011, the prescription prevalence rate of anti-dementia drugs was 24.6%; it varied with gender, age, and diagnosis (highest in Alzheimers disease; 42%), and was higher in patients treated by NPSPs (48% vs. 25% in GPs). At the same time, we found an alarmingly high rate of treatment with neuroleptics in dementia patients (35%), with an only slightly decreased risk in patients treated exclusively by NPSPs (OR=0.86). We found marginal differences between rural and urban areas. Our results show that the majority of anti-dementia drug prescriptions appear guideline-oriented, yet prescription rates are overall comparatively low. On the other hand, neuroleptic drugs, which are associated with excess morbidity and mortality in dementia, were prescribed very frequently, suggesting excess use given current guidelines. We therefore suggest that guideline implementation measures and increasing quality control procedures are needed with respect to the pharmacotherapy of this vulnerable population.

Continuous treatment with antidementia drugs in Germany 2003-2013: a retrospective database analysis

BACKGROUND Continuous treatment is an important indicator of medication adherence in dementia. However, long-term studies in larger clinical settings are lacking, and little is known about moderating effects of patient and service characteristics. METHODS Data from 12,910 outpatients with dementia (mean age 79.2 years; SD = 7.6 years) treated between January 2003 and December 2013 in Germany were included. Continuous treatment was analysed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. In addition, multivariate Cox regression models were fitted with continuous treatment as dependent variable and the predictors antidementia agent, age, gender, medical comorbidities, physician specialty, and health insurance status. RESULTS After one year of follow-up, nearly 60% of patients continued drug treatment. Donezepil (HR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.82-0.95) and memantine (HR: 0.85; 0.79-0.91) patients were less likely to be discontinued treatment as compared to rivastigmine users. Patients were less likely to be discontinued if they were treated by specialist physicians as compared to general practitioners (HR: 0.44; 0.41-0.48). Younger male patients and patients who had private health insurance had a lower discontinuation risk. Regarding comorbidity, patients were more likely to be continuously treated with the index substance if a diagnosis of heart failure or hypertension had been diagnosed at baseline. CONCLUSIONS Our results imply that besides type of antidementia agent, involvement of a specialist in the complex process of prescribing antidementia drugs can provide meaningful benefits to patients, in terms of more disease-specific and continuous treatment.

Hip fracture risk in patients with dementia in German primary care practices.

The aim was to analyze the risk of hip fracture in German primary care patients with dementia. This study included patients aged 65–90 from 1072 primary care practices who were first diagnosed with dementia between 2010 and 2013. Controls were matched (1:1) to cases for age, sex, and type of health insurance. The primary outcome was the diagnosis of hip fracture during the three-year follow-up period. A total of 53,156 dementia patients and 53,156 controls were included. A total of 5.3% of patients and 0.7% of controls displayed hip fracture after three years. Hip fracture occurred more frequently in dementia subjects living in nursing homes than in those living at home (9.2% versus 4.3%). Dementia, residence in nursing homes, and osteoporosis were risk factors for fracture development. Antidementia, antipsychotic, and antidepressant drugs generally had no significant impact on hip fracture risk when prescribed for less than six months. Dementia increased hip fracture risk in German primary care practices.

Persistence with antidepressant drugs in patients with dementia: a retrospective database analysis.

BACKGROUND The aims of the present study are to determine what proportion of patients with dementia receives antidepressants, how long the treatment is administered, and what factors increase the risk of discontinuation. METHODS The study was based on Disease Analyzer database and included 1,203 general practitioners (GP) and 209 neurologists/psychiatrists (NP). 12,281 patients with a diagnosis of dementia and an initial prescription of an antidepressant drug between January 2004 and December 2013 were included. The main outcome measure was antidepressant discontinuation rates within 6 months of the index date. RESULTS After 6 months of follow-up, 52.7% of dementia patients treated with antidepressants had stopped medication intake. There was a significantly decreased risk for treatment discontinuation for patients using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSNRIs) compared to tricyclic antidepressants. There was a significantly increased risk of treatment discontinuation for older patients and patients treated in NP practice. Comorbidity of diabetes or history of stroke was associated with a decreased risk of treatment discontinuation. CONCLUSION The study results show insufficient persistence in antidepressant treatment in dementia patients in a real world setting. The improvement must be achieved to ensure the treatment recommended in the guidelines.

Prescription differences of dementia drugs in urban and rural areas in Germany

OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to detect regional variability in anti-dementia drug prescriptions in metropolitan and rural regions of Germany in order to assess the widespread assumption that dementia treatment coverage is lower in rural areas because of the lower physician density in ambulatory care, especially for neuropsychiatrists. METHODS We compared the 2007 prescription rates for Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine and Memantine in defined daily doses per capita in the population aged 65 and older insured in the German Statutory Health Insurance. The prescription data for the States of Berlin and Hamburg were compared with those in the adjacent rural-type States of Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. RESULTS We found a greater proportion of both general practitioners and neuropsychiatrists prescribing dementia drugs and a higher population coverage with dementia drugs in the rural states compared to the urban states. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that the drug coverage in case of dementia is better in rural than in urban states in spite of a lower physician density. This unexpected result can be explained by the fact that a smaller proportion of physicians participate in the prescription of dementia drugs in urban areas, a phenomenon probably related to differences in task description and clientele selection between physicians in urban and rural areas.

Diagnose- und Verordnungsverhalten von Haus- und Fachärzten bei Patienten mit Demenz 2005 und 2015 in Deutschland

RESEARCH QUESTION Did the diagnostic and treatment behavior of general practitioners and specialists in patients with dementia (PWD) change in Germany over a period of 11 years (2005 vs. 2015)? METHODS We performed a retrospective, database-based evaluation of diagnostic and prescription data from more than 398 general practices (GP) and 50 specialist practices (SP). RESULTS Compared to 2005, in 2015, the number of PWD had increased by 40.7 % in GP and by 52.4 % in SP. The proportion of patients with DAT (Alzheimers Disease) had increased from 45.8 % to 61.7 % in SP. The latter changes are different from those in GP, where the proportion of patients with DAT had decreased from 20.8 % to 19.2 %. On average, each individual GP treated 29.9 PWD in 2015 (2005: 21.3), of which 5.9 were DAT patients (2005:4.4), and 1.7 DAT patients received an antidementia drug (2005: 1.3). On the other hand, an average of 115.4 PWD were diagnosed in SP in 2015 (2005: 75.7), 71.2 of which were DAT patients (2005: 34.7). 54.4 received an antidementia drug (2005: 23.9). CONCLUSIONS Improvements in the diagnosis of dementia and the prescription of antidementia drugs were only found in SP. In light of their comparatively low potential for change, whether GP will change their diagnostic and treatment behavior in the future and how SP can be better integrated into the process of outpatient dementia care remains to be seen.

Association between Anti-Dementia Treatment Persistence and Daily Dosage of the First Prescription: A Retrospective Analysis in Neuropsychiatric Practices in Germany

BACKGROUND High adherence and persistence are important for the efficacy of anti-dementia treatments. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to analyze the association between anti-dementia treatment persistence and daily dosage of the first prescription in patients treated in neuropsychiatric practices in Germany. METHODS This study included patients aged 60 years or over who were diagnosed with Alzheimers disease and received anti-dementia prescriptions (galantamine, donepezil, memantine, and rivastigmine) for the first time between 2005 and 2014. The main outcome measure was the treatment persistence rate within 12 months after the index date as a function of the first dose. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the relation between persistence and daily dosages after adjusting for age, gender, and residence in nursing homes. RESULTS In this study, 2,442, 5,669, 4,416, 642, and 2,334 patients received galantamine, donepezil, memantine, oral rivastigmine, and patch rivastigmine, respectively. After 12 months of follow-up, continuation rates were similar for individuals using different doses of galantamine, donepezil, oral rivastigmine, and patch rivastigmine, but were significantly different for those taking memantine. Patients using 20 mg of memantine were less likely to discontinue their treatment than patients using 10 mg (HR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.80-0.96). There was no significant association between daily dosages and persistence for the other drugs (HRs ranging from 0.86 to 1.15). CONCLUSIONS There was no significant association between treatment persistence and daily dosages in patients with Alzheimers disease in Germany who were treated with galantamine, donepezil, or rivastigmine.

Hat die Zahl der in einer Arztpraxis behandelten Demenzpatienten Einfluss auf die Kontinuität der Behandlung mit Antidementiva

Objective The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of the number of dementia cases in general and specialist practices on the continuity of treatment with antidementia drugs. Methodology Period between 2004 and 2013: 1116 general practices, 200 specialist practices, 37 178 dementia cases; observation period: 36 months. Practice groups with 1 - 9, 10 - 20, 21-s49, and ≥ 50 dementia cases. Results The treatment continuity is higher in practices with an average of 150 dementia cases than in practices with five dementia cases (73.6 % vs. 42.1 %). In addition to the number of cases, treatment continuity is also affected by the specialization, but not by the practice size. Conclusion Practices with more than 50 patients treated with antidementia drugs exhibit greater treatment continuity. Treatment continuity is increased if specialists are involved in the treatment.

Progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia in German specialist practices

The goal of this study was to estimate the rate of the progression of mild cognitive impairment to dementia and identify the potential risk factors in German specialist practices from 2005 to 2015. This study included 4633 patients aged 40 years and over from 203 neuropsychiatric practices, who were initially diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment between 2005 and 2013. The primary outcome was diagnosis of all-cause dementia recorded in the database until the end of the five-year follow-up period. Cox regression models were used to examine mild cognitive impairment progression to dementia when adjusted for confounders (age, sex, and health-insurance type). The mean age was 68.9 years and 46.6% were men. After the five-year follow-up period, 38.1% of women and 30.4% of men had been diagnosed with dementia (p < 0.001). The share of subjects with dementia increased with age, rising from 6.6% in the age group of ≤ 60 years to 64.7% in the age group of > 80 years (p < 0.001). Men were at a lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia than women (hazard ratio = 0.86). Patients in the age groups 61–70, 71–80, and > 80 years also had a higher risk of developing this psychiatric disorder, with hazard ratios ranging from 3.50 to 11.71. Finally, mild cognitive impairment was less likely to progress to dementia in people with private health-insurance coverage than in people with public health-insurance coverage (hazard ratio = 0.69). Around one in three patients developed dementia in the five years following mild cognitive impairment diagnosis. Sex, age, and type of health insurance were associated with this risk.