title: Benzodiazepine tranquilizers and the risk of accidental injury.
abstract: To determine whether benzodiazepine tranquilizers increase the risk of accidental injury requiring medical attention, we used pharmacy claims submitted to a large third-party payer to identify 4,554 persons who had been prescribed these agents and a matched control group of 13,662 persons who had been prescribed drugs other than benzodiazepines. We then used diagnoses recorded on claims submitted by medical care providers to identify all accident-related care received by these persons during three months before their first-observed prescription for a benzodiazepine or nonbenzodiazepine agent, respectively, and six months subsequently. We found accident-related care was more likely among persons who had been prescribed benzodiazepines; among these persons, the probability of an accident-related medical encounter was higher during months in which a prescription for a benzodiazepine had recently been filled compared to other months; and persons who had filled three or more prescriptions for these agents in the six months following initiation of therapy had a significantly higher risk of an accident-related medical event than those who had filled only one such prescription. Approximately two-fold risks of accident-related care were found, after controlling for age, sex, and prior utilization.
authors.affiliation: Policy Analysis Inc., Brookline, MA 02146.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oster
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Huse
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Imbimbo
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines