Psychiatric complications of corticoid therapy in the elderly over 65 years of age treated for Horton disease

Objective: To analyse steroid psychiatric related complications in aged (> 65 years old) with temporal arteritis (TA).

Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: In a cohort of 126 elderly patients with a diagnosis of TA and followed with a mean period of 64 months, clinical and biological presentations, outcome and corticoid adverse effects were recorded throughout the follow-up period.

Results: Twenty patients (16%), (mean age: 73 +/- 7.9 years, male n = 6) exhibited corticosteroid related psychiatric complications. Symptoms appear to be dose dependent and generally begin during the first month of treatment. Psychiatric disorders were as follow: mood disturbances (n = 8), depression (n = 6), mania (n = 3), anxiety neurosis (n = 2) and dementia (n = 1). Three patients were hospitalized in psychiatric units and 2 in nursing home. Psychiatric adverse affects appears to be more frequent with prednisone than prednisolone (P < 0.05).