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Disparities Found in Dementia Medication Use for PD
JAMA Neurol, ePub 2018 Oct 1; Mantri, Fullard, et al
Dementia medication use by persons with Parkinson disease (PD) varies by race/ethnicity and sex, according to a recent study. In addition, potentially inappropriate prescribing is common among those being treated for cognitive impairment and varies by race/ethnicity, sex, and geography. This cross-sectional analysis included adult Medicare beneficiaries (aged ≥65 years) with PD diagnosis with 12 consecutive months of inpatient, outpatient, and prescription drug coverage from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2014. Researchers found:
- Of 268,407 Medicare beneficiaries with PD (mean [SD] age, 78.9 [7.5]; 134,575 males [50.1%]), most were identified as white (232,831 [86.7%]), followed by black (14,629 [5.5%]), Hispanic (7,176 [2.7%]), Asian (7,115 [2.7%]), and Native American (874 [0.3%]).
- Among these beneficiaries, 73,093 (27.2%) were given a prescription for at least 1 anti-dementia medication.
- Dementia drugs were more likely to be prescribed to black and Hispanic beneficiaries and less likely for Native American beneficiaries.
- Women were less likely than men to be given a prescription for dementia medication.
Mantri S, Fullard M, Gray SL, et al. Patterns of dementia treatment and frank prescribing errors
in older adults with Parkinson disease. [Published online ahead of print October 1, 2018]. JAMA Neurol. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.2820.