Nursing home patients who take antipsychotic drugs are 60 percent more likely to develop pneumonia in the short term than those who don't take the drugs, a new study shows. The risk is greatest during the first week after patients start taking the medications and gradually decreases, say Dutch researchers. "The risk of developing pneumonia is not associated with long-term use, but is the highest shortly after starting the drug," said study authors Dr. Rob van Marum and Dr. Wilma Knol. They warned that "all antipsychotic drugs may be associated with pneumonia in elderly patients."

Full story: medicinenet.com