Antidepressant use and risk of adverse outcomes in older people: population based cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To investigate the association between antidepressant treatment and risk of several potential adverse outcomes in older people with depression and to examine risks by class of antidepressant, duration of use, and dose.

Design

Cohort study of people aged 65 and over diagnosed as having depression.

Setting

570 general practices in the United Kingdom supplying data to the QResearch primary care database.

Participants

60,746 patients diagnosed as having a new episode of depression between the ages of 65 and 100 years from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2007 and followed up until 31 December 2008.

Main outcome measures

Hazard ratios associated with antidepressant use for all cause mortality, attempted suicide/self harm, myocardial infarction, stroke

SUBMITTER: Coupland C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3149102 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature