Patients with dementia have a 35% increased risk of death within six months of being prescribed an antipsychotic drug than those not using the drugs, a study confirms.  

Findings from a large registry study also suggest a higher rate of mortality in patients with dementia and comorbid cardiovascular disease or diabetes who initiate antipsychotics, but the relative risks are not additive, researchers have found.   

The Danish team says its study reinforces the need for caution when prescribing antipsychotics to patients with dementia, irrespective of any pre-existing comorbidities. 

Led by the Danish Dementia Research Centre, the researchers drew on national registry data of some 48,500 patients aged 65-95 with dementia between 2009 and 2014.