SynthesisOsteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA2018
Antihistamine use and the risk of injurious falls or fracture in elderly patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Current evidence on the impact of medication optimization or pharmacological interventions on frailty or aspects of frailty: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Diphenhydramine, Sodium Bicarbonate, or Combination for Acute Peripheral Vertigo: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- Risk of injury associated with the sedative potential of second-generation antihistamines: A nationwide retrospective cohort study.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
- Long-term intranasal corticosteroids vs. antihistamines and bone health in post-menopausal women with allergic rhinitis: a retrospective cohort study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Effects of Quercetin on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Targeting Oligodendrocyte Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease: a New Frontier for Drug Repurposing with Antihistamines and Serotonin Receptor Agonists.Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2025Review
- Comparative inhibitory effects of bepotastine and diphenhydramine on rituximab-induced infusion reactions.International journal of hematology · 2025Article
- Meclizine Use and Subsequent Falls Among Patients With Dizziness.JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery · 2025Article
- Risk of falls or fall-related injuries associated with potentially inappropriate medication use among older adults with dementia.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Advances in clinical application of HZhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2024Review
- Medications influencing the risk of fall-related injuries in older adults: case-control and case-crossover design studies.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- A qualitative research study on the illness perception of chronic pruritus in older Asian adults based on the Common-Sense Model of self-regulation.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2021Article
- Prolonged Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors, but Not Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists, Is Associated With Lower Bone Mineral Density in Males Aged Over 70.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- A multiyear cross-sectional study of U.S. national prescribing patterns of first-generation sedating antihistamines in older adults with skin disease.The British journal of dermatology · 2020Observational
- Atopic eczema and fracture risk in adults: A population-based cohort study.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2020Article
- A contemporary look at allergic conjunctivitis.Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Despite their anticholinergic side effects, first-generation antihistamines are widely prescribed to elderly patients. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize real-world evidence. First-generation antihistamine use is considerably associated with an increased risk of injurious falls or fracture among the elderly.
introductionFirst-generation antihistamines are considered potentially inappropriate for elderly patients owing to anticholinergic side effects. We aimed to determine whether elderly patients taking antihistamines are at increased risk of injurious falls or fracture.
methodsWe identified studies in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and several local databases through November 2016. Observational studies on the association between antihistamine use and the risk of injurious falls or fracture were selected. Quality of the studies and the level of evidence were assessed. The random-effects model was employed for meta-analysis, and heterogeneity was examined based on I-square and Cochrane's Q test. Subgroup analyses were performed when the heterogeneity among studies could not be explained.
resultsFrom 473 identified studies, five (three case-control studies, one cohort study, and one case-crossover study) were included in our analysis based on eligibility criteria. First-generation antihistamine use showed significantly increased risk of injurious falls or fracture (odds ratio [OR] 2.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.49-2.76, heterogeneity: p = 0.41, I
conclusionsFirst-generation antihistamine use is considerably associated with increased risk of injurious falls or fracture among the elderly. Clinicians need to exercise caution when prescribing first-generation antihistamines to elderly patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
30046925What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.