A Danish study of more than 200,000 patients has concluded that individuals with affective disorders who use benzodiazepines and other anxiolytics are not at increased risk of developing dementia. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media.
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Stephen J Ralph. Their popularity has raised concerns regarding their safety profile, including risk of dementia in elderly patients.
Numerous studies, however, have associated benzodiazepine use in seniors with increased risk of However, Gray and colleagues note that research assessing benzodiazepine use in older adults has been conflicting, with some studies finding no link with dementia. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. During follow-up, 797 of the participants developed dementia.
Pharmacy data from Group Health was analyzed to assess participants’ daily use of benzodiazepines over a 10-year period. Use of antipsychotics and benzodiazepines for dementia: Time for action? Subjects were followed-up for an average of 7 years. Eleven studies have been published so far concerning benzodiazepine use and the risk of dementia disorders; nine of these studies concluded these drugs have a deleterious effect, one found a protective effect, and one (the most recently published) observed no effect. Benzodiazepine use in patients with dementia remains controversial, with most studies suggesting an increased risk, although some suggest a protective effect. The short-term effects of benzodiazepines on memory are well established and are suspected in the long term. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Long-acting benzodiazepines were associated with a marginally higher magnitude risk (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.99–1.49) than short-acting benzodiazepines (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02–1.26), although the former failed to reach statistical significance (p = 0.059). A total of 40,770 dementia cases diagnosed between April 2006 and July 2015 were matched on age, sex, available data history, and deprivation to 283,933 control subjects.
Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed for treating situational anxiety, as well as for various anxiety disorders. Abstract.
Benzodiazepines and Z-drug prescriptions were ascertained in a drug-exposure period 4–20 years before dementia diagnosis.
Contrary to the findings of previous research, a new study claims the use of benzodiazepines – drugs widely used to treat anxiety and insomnia – does not raise the risk of dementia among seniors. Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed for treating situational anxiety, as well as for various anxiety disorders. What will be required before global de-prescribing? “Given the enormous public health implications, we need a better understanding of the potential cognitive risks of cumulative benzodiazepine use,” say the authors. To do so, the researchers analyzed the data of 3,434 adults aged 65 and older who were part of the Adult Changes in Thought study, conducted within Group Health – a non-profit health care system in Seattle, WA. This result was unchanged when further adjusted for depressive symptoms (HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.08 - 2.43).
All rights reserved. Past research has linked benzodiazepines - drugs used to treat anxiety and insomnia - to increased dementia risk for seniors, but a new study has found no such association.