Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and the rates are increasing. Scientists are in the process of identifying risk factors, and examining how they can be mitigated, and another important piece of the puzzle has emerged recently. Antipsychotic medications have been shown to increase the risk of stroke by a massive 200% in people with dementia - a condition which is unfortunately often wrongly prescribed antipsychotics. International hospitals in Bangkok are now changing their questioning habits for people considered candidates for antipsychotic medication, and issuing widespread warnings to healthcare providers, after the enormous link between their use and stroke incidence was revealed.
Concerns about an increased risk of stroke in people taking second generation, or 'atypical', antipsychotic drugs were first raised in 2002. Since then several studies have been done proving the link, with atypical antipsychotics being shown to increase stroke risk by 1.7 times in those without dementia, and 3.5 times in those with the condition. However, the risk of stroke in those using 'typical', or the older style of antipsychotic drugs, was unclear. While international hospitals in Thailand have long since ceased prescribing second generation antipsychotics to people in high stroke-risk categories, they are now finding alternatives for those who would have received first generation drugs also.
Hospitals in Bangkok have long known that antipsychotic drugs are not to be taken lightly, with a study done in early 2008 showing that they also increase the risk of developing pneumonia in the elderly. The study referred to by Thai medical centers revealed that elderly patients on antipsychotics were at a 60% increased risk of developing pneumonia, and is highest shortly after beginning treatment with the drugs. The unfortunate part of these studies is that antipsychotics are rarely necessary among the elderly, and are not thought to be useful for typical age-related conditions like dementia and Alzheimer by modern Thai international hospitals. The increased risk of stroke and pneumonia is often due to a misprescribed drug, therefore.
This controversy and caution over the use of antipsychotic drugs should not stop doctors prescribing required medication outside the antipsychotic category for mentally distressed patients, teaching hospitals in Bangkok warn. Ironically, psychological distress was found to also increase the risk of stroke, with every standard deviation lower on the mental well being scale leading to an 11% increased risk of stroke.
Another study done around the time of the antipsychotics-stroke study has also led to changed questioning habits in Thai international hospitals, this time for postmenopausal women. Harvard Medical School researchers have shown that hormone therapy can also increase the risk of stroke, by up to 39% for women on estrogen replacement only, and up to 27% for those on both estrogen and progestin. Larger doses were also found to increase the risk, and as such doctors at Bangkok hospital and other Thai medical centers are now exercising extra caution in dosage amounts of hormones for women in high stroke-risk groups.
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Bangkok Hospital is an international hospital in bangkok that has 36 years of advanced medical technology and expertise,complemented with Thai hospitality and compassionate care.Includes the world-renowned Bangkok heart center thailand and specializing in oncology, neurology and orthopedics.
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