Objectives To assess the tolerability and side-effect profile of lithium us
e in a group of octogenarians attending a specialized lithium clinic.
Methods This is a cross-sectional study looking at all patients of eighty y
ears and over attending a lithium clinic. Charts were examined to assess re
nal function, thyroid function and level of side-effects during their cours
e of lithium treatment in order to assess the tolerability of this medicati
on in octogenarians.
Results Twelve patients of 80 years and over (with an average age of 83.6 y
ears) were taking lithium for an average period of 53.7 months. They had a
mean serum level of 0.42 mmol/l. No patient had to discontinue lithium ther
apy because of side-effects, even though some patients did develop transien
t abnormalities of renal function. One patient developed diabetes insipidus
. One female patient developed hypothyroidism.
Conclusions Lithium was well tolerated and was administered safely to this
cohort of octogenarians. Monitoring of serum lithium levels and kidney and
thyroid function should preferably be done in the setting of a specialized
lithium clinic. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.