Side effects of painkillers are worse in Alzheimer's
Dementia is a large and growing concern. Because it cannot
be reversed, understanding the best way to care for people with advanced
dementia is increasingly important.
Roughly 50 percent of people with dementia who are living in
nursing homes experience substantial pain. According to earlier studies, this
pain often goes unnoticed by clinicians and is therefore poorly managed.
Although paracetamol is generally the first line of
treatment for pain, opioids are used when paracetamol is not effective. In
fact, around 40 percent of people with dementia living in nursing homes are
prescribed opioids
Recently, researchers from three institutions investigated
the impact of opioids on this population. The scientists hailed from the
University of Exeter and King's College London, both in the United Kingdom, and
the University of Bergen in Norway.
For their analysis, they included data from 162 Norwegian
adults with advanced dementia and depression from 47 nursing homes.
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