Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs Are Associated with Acute Kidney Injury in Older Adults

Some case reports have suggested that older adults who are treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs (i.e., risperidone, quetiapine, and olanzapine) might be at elevated risk for acute kidney injury (AKI). To investigate this risk and other adverse outcomes, researchers used population-based data from Ontario, Canada, to study almost 98,000 adults 65 and older (mean age, 81; 24% in long-term care facilities; 54% with diagnoses of dementia) who received new outpatient prescriptions for oral atypical antipsychotic drugs between 2003 and 2012; data on an equal number of age-, sex-, and health-matched patients who did not receive such prescriptions also were examined.

Risk for hospitalization for AKI within 90 days was higher among prescription …