EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF DRUG ANXIOLYTICS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN ELDERLY PATIENTS
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Keywords
Anxiolytics, elderly patients, cognitive functioning, MMSE, MoCA
Abstract
Background: The effect of anxiolytics on cognitive functioning in elderly people could be an interesting topic of research because these drugs are frequently used to treat anxiety disorders, which are experienced by a large number of elderly people. The use of anxiolytics (e.g. benzodiazepines or new non-benzodiazepine sedatives) has been associated with cognitive impairment as one of the possible side effects. This study at a specific institution like Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar will have the advantage of collecting data from a local healthcare setting which will provide information that is relevant to the population served by the hospital.
Objective: To evaluate the cognitive effects of anxiolytic medications in elderly patients, there is a need to concentrate on short-term memory, attention, and executive functioning.
Study design: A prospective observational study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Pharmacy at Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, from 11-January -2020 to 11-July 2020.
Methods: The current study was an observation, that analyzed 300 elderly patients at Lady Reading Hospital, and the results showed the cognitive functions between 150 anxiolytic users and 150 controls. Evaluation of cognitive function was done by using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) before and after the medication period.
Results: This portion of the report will describe the results of the study, including the changes in cognitive scores related to anxiolytic administration. The results of our study would be presented statistically with the correlation between drug type, dosage, duration of use, and cognitive outcomes being reported.
Conclusion: Anxiolytic uptake in elderly patients is associated with deterioration of cognitive function as shown by lower MMSE and MoCA scores post-treatment. Practitioners need to weigh the cognitive side effects carefully when deciding to prescribe anxiolytics to this group of people.
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Hasib Shamshad
Department of Computer Science, Sarhad University of Science & Information Technology, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
Sadaf Shamshad
Department of Pharmacy, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar 25000, Pakistan