Is Benzodiazepine Linked to Alzheimer’s Risk?

According to a recent study, benzodiazepine use is linked to a 50% heightened risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in elderly patients.

For the case-controlled study, researchers followed 1796 adults with AD over a 6-year period from a random sample of adults 66 years and older between 2000 to 2009. They compared these patients to a control group of 7184 adults.
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Researchers found that the use of benzodiazepine at least 5 year prior to diagnosis was more prominent in AD patients compared to the control patients: 50% vs. 40% (adjusted odds ration, 1.51).

The study showed also an increased risk of manifesting AD during long-term use of benzodiazepine (adjusted odds ratio 1.51, 95% confidence interval 1.36 to 1.69).

The investigators adjusted for early symptoms of dementia such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression and noted that they had no bearing on the results.

The complete study is published in the September issue of the British Medical Journal.

-Michelle Canales

Reference:

de Gage SB, Moride Y, Ducruet T et al. Benzodiazepine use and risk of Alzheimer’s disease: case-control study. BMJ. 2014 Sept [epub ahead of print] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g5205.