Centre for Policy on Ageing



Use of lithium and the risk of injurious motor vehicle crash in elderly adults — case-control study nested within a cohort
Author(s)	Mahyar Etminan, Brenda Hemmelgarn, J A C Delaney
Journal title	British Medical Journal, vol 328, no 7439, 6 March 2004
Pages	pp 558-559
Source	http://www.bmj.com
Keywords	Drugs ; At risk ; Drivers accidents ; Canada.
Annotation	Since its introduction in the 1960s, lithium has been an effective agent for stabilising mood in the treatment of bipolar disorder. However, its use has been linked to impaired memory and slow reaction times. These researchers assessed the association between older people's use of lithium and their involvement in motor vehicle crashes in Quebec, Canada. 5,579 people aged 67-84 had had an injurious crash during the study period (June 1990-May 1993). Comparing this group with 13,800 controls from the study cohort, current use of lithium was higher in those who had been in injurious crashes than those in the control group. Patients who are prescribed lithium must be told about the increased risk of motor vehicle crashes. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-040316202 A
Classmark	LLD: CA3: OPD: 7S *
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.