Prevalence of Antiepileptic Drug Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Abstract number :
K.07
Submission category :
Year :
2000
Submission ID :
384
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/2/2000 12:00:00 AM
Published date :
Dec 1, 2000, 06:00 AM
Authors :
Nicole M Nitz, Judith Garrard, Susan L Harms, Nancy A Hardie, Patricia C Bland, Cynthia R Gross, Ilo E Leppik, Sch of Public Health, Univ of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; Univ of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN; MINCEP, Minneapolis, MN.
RATIONALE: Little is known about the nationwide prevalence of antiepileptic drug (AED) use among elderly Medicare beneficiaries. This study estimates annual prevalence rates for 1992 to 1995. METHODS: Data were from the 1992-1995 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS). The MCBS is a national panel study on a stratified, clustered sample of approximately 10,000 participants age 65 or older in each year. In-home surveys assessed medication use for all subjects. AED use was defined as at least one mention of phenobarbital, valproate, carbamazepine, or phenytoin. Frequencies were calculated using data weighted to adjust for the sampling design; estimates represent the U.S. population of Medicare beneficiaries in each year. Estimates are based on cell sizes ranging from 4 to 173 subjects. RESULTS: Prevalence of use of AEDs was approximately 14 per 1000 beneficiaries in each year, with confidence intervals approximately 11 to 18 per 1000(Table). The most commonly used AED was phenytoin, followed by carbamazepine, phenobarbital, and valproate. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence rates of AED use among these mostly community-based elderly Medicare beneficiaries mirror rates among the population under the age of 65. These estimates establish an important baseline for examining national trends in AED treatment and costs among an older population. Supported in part by NINDS NS P-50 16308.