Reactions 600 - 11 May 1996

■ Elderly patients at high risk of triazolam-inducedfalls can be identified by a high pretreatment level ofpostural sway, say US researchers. A placebo-controlled study in which 9 young (aged 20–29 years)and 9 older (aged 65–78 years) men received a singledose of triazolam 0.375mg demonstrated that the drugincreased postural sway in both groups. However, thegreater postural sway observed after drugadministration in elderly people was related to higherbaseline sway. There was no evidence that thepharmacokinetics of triazolam, or the level ofresponsiveness to the drug, was different in elderlyvolunteers, compared with younger volunteers.Robin DW, et al. Increased baseline sway contributes to increased losses ofbalance in older people following triazolam. Journal of the AmericanGeriatrics Society 44: 300-304, Mar 1996 800432449

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Reactions 11 May 1996 No. 6000114-9954/10/0600-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved