title: Long-term use of benzodiazepines and related drugs among community-dwelling individuals with and without Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of benzodiazepine and related drug (BZDR) use, especially long-term use, and associated factors among community-dwelling individuals with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD). We utilized data from the MEDALZ-2005 cohort, which includes all community-dwelling individuals diagnosed with AD in Finland at the end of 2005 and matched comparison individuals without AD. Register-based data included prescription drug purchases, comorbidities, and hospital discharge diagnoses. In this study, 24,966 individuals with AD and 24,985 individuals without AD were included. During the 4-year follow-up, we found that 45% (N = 11,312) of individuals with AD and 38% (N = 9534) of individuals without AD used BZDRs. The prevalence of long-term (≥ 180 days) BZDR use was more common among individuals with AD (30%) than individuals without AD (26%). The median durations of the first long-term use periods of BZDRs were 1.5 and 2 years for individuals with and without AD, respectively. Factors associated with long-term BZDR use included female sex, AD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, coronary artery disease, and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The high prevalence of long-term BZDR use among individuals with AD is especially a cause for concern because long-term use may further impair cognition and may be associated with serious adverse events.
authors.affiliation: aKuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care bSchool of Pharmacy cResearch Centre for Comparative Effectiveness and Patient Safety (RECEPS) dDepartment of Forensic Psychiatry, Niuvanniemi Hospital, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio eNational Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland fDepartment of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Heidi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taipale
authors.forename: Marjaana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koponen
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanskanen
authors.forename: Anna-Maija
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tolppanen
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tiihonen
authors.forename: Sirpa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hartikainen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D015897:Comorbidity; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D057970:Inappropriate Prescribing; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001569:Benzodiazepines