Among older Americans, deaths from falls are up sharply, dovetailing with a surge in use of medications that increase the risk of falling, researchers say.
Two decades ago, about 57% of U.S. seniors took medications that increased their risk of falls. By 2017, that number had risen to 94%, and deaths caused by falls had more than doubled, a new study found, published in the journal Pharmocoepidemiology and Drug Safety.
Joshua Niznik, PharmD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of geriatric medicine and the Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, reviewed the study findings. He recognized that every person has a different susceptibility to various drugs, and that doses can also make difference, in a recent interview with .
“We’re starting to understand now that the dose of the medication that someone is on is really what we should be looking at probably with the greatest level of scrutiny, and that really has a strong correlation with falls,” Niznik said.
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