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Friday, September 28, 2012

Sleeping pills taken by millions linked to dementia: research


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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