Do some antihistamines increase dementia risk in older hospitalized patients?

Published On 2025-10-31 15:00 GMT | Update On 2025-10-31 15:01 GMT

An analysis in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that older inpatients admitted to physicians who prescribe higher amounts of first-generation antihistamines face an elevated risk of delirium while in the hospital.

First-generation antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), are among the leading causes of medication-related harms in older adults, and although these medications are indicated for histamine-related conditions such as hives and anaphylaxis, they may be prescribed inappropriately.

When investigators analyzed data on 328,140 patients aged 65 years and older who were admitted by 755 attending physicians to 17 hospitals in Ontario, Canada in 2015–2022, they found that the overall prevalence of delirium was 34.8%. Patients admitted to physicians who more commonly prescribed first-generation antihistamines had 41% increased odds of experiencing delirium compared with patients admitted to physicians who rarely prescribed first-generation antihistamines.

“We hope our study raises awareness among hospitalists that sedating antihistamines can be harmful, and should be prescribed with caution,” said corresponding author Aaron M. Drucker, MD, of the University of Toronto and Women’s College Hospital.

Reference:

Alanna C. Bridgman, Mohammad Arshad Imrit, Surain B. Roberts, Mina Tadrous, Association of Inpatient Prescribing of First-Generation Antihistamines With Delirium in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.70121

Article Source : Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

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Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

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Do some antihistamines increase dementia risk in older hospitalized patients?

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