• The study included adults aged 50 or older with dementia diagnosed between 1998 and 2018.

• A population-based matched cohort study was conducted using data from England's Clinical Practice Research Datalink.

• Each new antipsychotic user was matched with non-users.

• The main outcomes investigated were stroke, venous thromboembolism, myocardial infarction, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, fracture, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury.

• Additionally, the study looked at the combined outcome of appendicitis and cholecystitis as a negative control to detect potential confounding.

• The results indicated that compared to non-use, antipsychotic use in individuals with dementia was associated with increased risks of various adverse outcomes, particularly within 90 days of initiating treatment.

• Other than ventricular arrhythmia, the use of antipsychotics was associated with increased risk, ranging from 1.16 (1.09 to 1.24) for heart failure to 2.03 (1.96 to 2.10) for pneumonia.

• These findings suggest a broader range of adverse outcomes associated with antipsychotic use in dementia patients than previously recognized.

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