title: Sedative use and incident cognitive decline among persons aged 75 years and older: a population-based longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute exposure to sedative drugs may induce memory impairment, but there is mixed evidence that long-term sedative use may result in incident cognitive decline. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of sedative drugs and incident cognitive decline in a population-based sample of persons aged 75 years and older.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample comprised 781 participants in the Geriatric Multidisciplinary Strategy for the Good Care of the Elderly (GeMS) study in Kuopio, Finland. Data on health status, drug use, and sociodemographic factors were elicited during annual nurse interviews from 2004 to 2007. A linear mixed model was used to compare change in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (2005-2007) among users of sedative drugs in 2004 and 2005 (n = 139) to non-users of sedative drugs from 2004 to 2007 (n = 310). The model was adjusted for covariates including age, gender, education, depressive symptoms and antipsychotic use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unadjusted mean MMSE scores were 27.50 in 2005, 26.58 in 2006, and 25.95 in 2007 among users of sedative drugs. Unadjusted mean MMSE scores were 28.05 in 2005, 27.61 in 2006, and 27.09 in 2007 among non-users of sedative drugs. Adjusted mean MMSE scores were 0.31 points lower in 2005, 0.62 points lower in 2006, and 0.93 lower in 2007 among users compared to non-users of sedative drugs (P = 0.051).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sedatives were not associated with statistically significant cognitive decline. However, clinicians should maintain a judicious approach to prescribing sedative drugs given the risk of adverse drug events.
authors.affiliation: Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Franciska
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Desplenter
authors.forename: Piia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lavikainen
authors.forename: Sirpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartikainen
authors.forename: Raimo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sulkava
authors.forename: J Simon
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives