Differences in drug prescribing patterns in elderly parkinsonian patients identified at hospital admission

In the period July 1984 to June 1993 a total of 4541 admissions to a Department of Medicine for the Elderly were investigated. Approximately 9% of the total were diagnosed to have parkinsonism. Full drug histories together with the available demographic and clinical data were investigated in order to identify differences in the prescribing patterns in this group compared to those of non-parkinsonian patients admitted during this time frame. There was a statistically significant lower incidence among the parkinsonian group for the prescribing of all cardiovascular drug groups, anticoagulants, hypoglycaemics, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids compared with non-parkinsonian patients. In contrast, the incidence of hypnotics, laxatives, antidepressants and antipsychotics were significantly higher.