Is usage of hypnotics associated with mortality?
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the influence of hypnotic usage on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a middle-aged population.


METHODS
A cohort of 1750 men and 1773 women aged 30-65 years who responded to a postal questionnaire in 1983. The questionnaire included questions about hypnotic usage, sleep duration, sleep complaints, medical conditions, depression, demographic and life style variables. Mortality data for the period 1983-2003 were collected.


RESULTS
Regular hypnotic usage was reported by 1.7% of men and 2.2% of women, and was associated with short sleep, sleeping difficulties, several health problems and depression. During the 20-year follow-up period 379 men (21.5%) and 278 women (15.5%) died. After adjustment for potential risk factors in multivariate analyses regular hypnotic usage was associated with significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality in men (Hazard ratios [HR], 4.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.47-8.37) and in women 2.03 (95% CI, 1.07-3.86). With regard to cause-specific mortality, regular hypnotic usage in men was a risk factor for coronary artery disease death, cancer death, suicide and death from "all remaining causes." In women it was a risk factor for suicide.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show an increased risk of all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality in regular users of hypnotics.
Mallon
Lena
L
Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Uppsala University, University Hospital, SE-75185 Uppsala, Sweden. lena.mallon@ltdalarna.se <lena.mallon@ltdalarna.se>
Broman
Jan-Erik
JE
Hetta
Jerker
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives