Relationship between falls and the use of hypnotics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between falls and the use of psychotropic medications in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: The psychotropic medication group included patients with RA prescribed psychotropic medications [hypnotics/sedatives, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytic (benzodiazepines) drugs]. Poisson regression with robust variance was performed to investigate the relationship between falls and the use of psychotropic medications, with adjustment for age, sex, RA disease activity, stroke, dementia, diabetes mellitus, and osteoarthritis.

Results: Of the 307 patients enrolled, 49 (16.0%) used psychotropic medications and 70 (22.8%) experienced at least one fall per year. Nineteen of the 49 patients (38.8%) taking psychotropic medications and 51 of 258 (19.8%) not taking psychotropic medications experienced at least one fall per year. Falls were significantly more frequent in the group with psychotropic medications than in the group without psychotropic medications (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.48; P = .02). No relationship was found between the number of falls and the use of psychotropic medications (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.39-3.44; P = .78).

Conclusions: There may be a relationship between psychotropic medication use and falls in patients with RA.