title: [Use of benzodiazepines according to the admission diagnosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic consumption of benzodiazepines is common in elderly patients. The aim of the study was to analyse the possible differences between patients taking benzodiazepines and those without them. We also determined, among patients on benzodiazepines, if any differences were related to medical or surgical admissions.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective and multicentre study of 393 patients admitted consecutively for medical reasons to 6 geriatrics acute units; these patients were compared to 1,225 patients hospitalized for a hip fracture. We collected sociodemographic data, functional capacity by the Barthel's index (BI), comorbidity by the Charlson's index and cognitive impairment by the Pfeiffer test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We evaluated 1,618 patients, with a median age of 82.9 (6.5) years. Among patients admitted for medical causes, 581 (35.9%) were taking benzodiazepines chronically as did 449 (36.6%) patients in the hip fracture group (p=0.27). In the multivariate analysis, factors associated with the use of benzodiazepines included older age, institutionalization and a higher number of drug consumption. Differences according to the admission reason showed that patients admitted for medical causes lived more frequently in the community and had less falls, worse BI as well as a higher number of comorbidities and polypharmacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than one third of elderly patients hospitalized for medical or traumatology causes were taking benzodiazepines chronically. Different patients' profiles can be observed according to whether they are or not taking benzodiazepines and to the admission's cause in the subgroup of patients on benzodiazepines.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Geriatría, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, España. fformiga@bellvitgehospital.cat
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Formiga
authors.forename: Enric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Duaso
authors.forename: Domingo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: San José
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urrutia
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Soto
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000208:Acute Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006757:Hospital Units; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019338:Polypharmacy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D001569:Benzodiazepines