Quetiapine adverse events in older adults in Australia

Aim: To characterise quetiapine reported adverse drug events (ADEs) in older Australians in terms of type, frequency, severity and outcome, and to compare these characteristics with those of younger Australians. Methods: Basic descriptive analyses were used to examine patient characteristics. The characteristics of reported ADEs were compared between older and younger Australians using odds ratios and chi-squared tests. Results: The most frequently reported ADEs in older people were nervous system disorders (23.7%). There were significantly more reports of skin and subcutaneous ADEs and hepatobiliary ADEs for older people than for younger people. More severe ADEs were reported in older people with death more likely to occur in older than in younger people. Conclusion: Significant differences between older and younger people in terms of reported ADEs, severity and mortality were found. There is a need for further prospective studies in older people on quetiapine to confirm the findings of this study.