Sleeping pills taken by more than one million people in the UK may
increase the risk of developing dementia, research has suggested. A study
involving more than 1,000 elderly people has found that those who begin taking
benzodiazepine are at a 50 per cent increased risk of developing dementia
within 15 years.
In Britain the drugs are used for short-term insomnia and anxiety, but
mostly for sedation and anxiety ahead of surgery or other procedures such as
dental work. Around 1.5million people in the UK are believed to be taking the
pills at any one time and there were around 9m prescriptions issued in England
in 2011 for benzodiazepines which include diazepam and temazepam.
They should only be prescribed for short-term relief but patients often
remain on them for years. Experts said 'widespread use should be cautioned against'.
Academics from Harvard University in the US and the University of
Bordeaux in France carried out a study on 1,063 men and women, with an average
age 78, who were all free of dementia at the start of the trial. Over the
following 20 years 253 developed dementia, 30 of which were in benzodiazepine
users.
They accounted for other factors that affect dementia such as age,
gender, educational level, marital status, wine consumption, diabetes, high
blood pressure, cognitive decline, and depressive symptoms. The results showed
that for every 100 people studied for a year 4.8 who had taken the drugs
developed dementia compared with 3.2 who had not.
The results were published in the British Medical Journal.
Experts have warned against using drugs such as these in the elderly as
they can lead to falls and fractures. Lead author PhD student at Bordeaux
University Sophie Billioti de Gage, wrote in the journal that the increased
risk of dementia, if substantiated by other studies, 'would constitute a
substantial public health concern'.
She said: "Benzodiazepines remain useful for the treatment of acute
anxiety states and transient insomnia. "However, increasing evidence shows
that their use may induce adverse outcomes, mainly in elderly people, such as
serious falls and fall related fractures.
"Our data add to the accumulating evidence that use of
benzodiazepines is associated with increased risk of dementia, which, given the
high and often chronic consumption of these drugs in many countries would
constitute a substantial public health concern. "Therefore, physicians
should carefully assess the expected benefits of the use of benzodiazepines in
the light of these adverse effects and, whenever possible, limit prescription
to a few weeks as recommended by the good practice guidelines."
Professor Tobias Kurth, who works jointly at Harvard University’s School
of Public Health and the University of Bordeaux said: ‘There is a potential
that these drugs are really harmful. ‘If it is really true that these drugs are
causing dementia that will be huge. But one single study does not necessarily
show everything that is going on, so there is no need to panic.'
Professor Clive Ballard, Director of Research at the Alzheimer’s
Society, said: "This is the not the first time it has been suggested that these
drugs could have a negative impact on cognition. "With this long-term
study adding to the evidence, it emphasises how important it is that we
properly monitor how treatments for anxiety or sleep problems are used.
"While Alzheimer’s Society is leading the way in calling for an end
to the inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia, it is
also vital that benzodiazepines are not automatically turned to as the
alternative. "Instead we need to empower care staff with the knowledge
they need to understand dementia and the person behind the condition."
Yahoo Lifestyle
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