Sleeping pills taken by millions linked to Alzheimer's
Sleeping tablets and anxiety drugs taken by millions of people have been linked with Alzheimer's disease, researchers warn
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
10 Sep 2014
Common sleeping tablets and anxiety drugs taken by millions of patients has been linked to a 50 per cent increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found.
Taking the drugs known as benzodiazepines, which include diazepam and lorazepam, for three months or more was linked with a greater chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years later.
At least six million prescriptions were issued for the drugs in England last year and the researchers said the findings are important because of the large numbers of older people taking the medicines.
Researchers behind the study described the findings as being of "major importance for public health".
They warned that although it cannot be definitively proven that the drugs are causing Alzheimer's there is a strong 'suspicion of possible direct causation'.
The drugs should be not be taken for more than three months in light of these findings, the researchers said.
However, other experts said the results may reflect that people who are already in the early stages of Alzheimer's are often treated for sleep problems and anxiety and this is confusing the findings.
In a research paper published in the British Medical Journal, scientists from the University of Bordeaux and the Univeristy of Montreal beind the latest study said their findings were especially important "considering the prevalence and chronicity of benzodiazepine use in elderly populations and the high and increasing incidence of dementia in developed countries."
They said: "It is now crucial to encourage physicians to carefully balance the benefits and risks when initiating or renewing a treatment with benzodiazepines and related products in elderly patients."
The French and Canadian researchers examined data from Quebec from a period of at least six years and identified 1,796 cases of Alzheimer's disease which where then individually matched with 7,184 healthy people matched for age, sex, and duration of follow-up.
They found that past use of benzodiazepines was associated with a 51 per cent increased risk fo Alzheimer's disease. The link was stronger with longer exposure to the drugs or use of long-acting versions of the medicines.
In an accompanying editorial Professor Kristine Yaffe of the University of California at San Francisco and Professor Malaz Boustani of the Indiana University Centre for Aging Research, said that in 2012 the American Geriatrics Society included benzodiazepines in a list of drugs that should not be used in older people because of the side effects of brain function.
Dr Liz Coulthard, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Dementia Neurology at University of Bristol, said: "This work provides yet another reason to avoid prescription of benzodiazepines for anything other than very short term relief of insomnia or anxiety.
"In addition to short term cognitive impairment, falls and car accidents already known to be associated with benzodiazepine use, there is a hint from this study that these drugs might in some way increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
“However, we know that Alzheimer's disease pathology accumulates for up to 17 years prior to diagnosis and this study looked at benzodiazepine use well into the course of the pathological cascade in the disease.
"In addition, retrospective studies such as this cannot prove causation. Therefore there is still a possibility that, rather than causing Alzheimer's disease, benzodiazepines tend to be prescribed to patients presenting with anxiety or insomnia as part of an as yet undiagnosed dementia."
Prof Gordon Wilcock, Emeritus Professor of Geratology at University of Oxford, said: “This carefully conducted study provides convincing evidence that the use of benzodiazepines may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and importantly may be another factor we could modify to reduce the occurrence of dementia.
"However, these drugs would have been given to treat symptoms and it is possible that the latter may have been the earliest signs of unrecognised Alzheimer’s disease, although the authors have tried to control for this as far as was possible in their study.
"Ideally more research needs to be undertaken, but it will be difficult to do this prospectively as most clinicians would avoid long term prescription of these drugs in older people.”
Sleeping pills taken by millions linked to Alzheimer's - Telegraph
Sleeping tablets and anxiety drugs taken by millions of people have been linked with Alzheimer's disease, researchers warn
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
10 Sep 2014
Common sleeping tablets and anxiety drugs taken by millions of patients has been linked to a 50 per cent increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found.
Taking the drugs known as benzodiazepines, which include diazepam and lorazepam, for three months or more was linked with a greater chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years later.
At least six million prescriptions were issued for the drugs in England last year and the researchers said the findings are important because of the large numbers of older people taking the medicines.
Researchers behind the study described the findings as being of "major importance for public health".
They warned that although it cannot be definitively proven that the drugs are causing Alzheimer's there is a strong 'suspicion of possible direct causation'.
The drugs should be not be taken for more than three months in light of these findings, the researchers said.
However, other experts said the results may reflect that people who are already in the early stages of Alzheimer's are often treated for sleep problems and anxiety and this is confusing the findings.
In a research paper published in the British Medical Journal, scientists from the University of Bordeaux and the Univeristy of Montreal beind the latest study said their findings were especially important "considering the prevalence and chronicity of benzodiazepine use in elderly populations and the high and increasing incidence of dementia in developed countries."
They said: "It is now crucial to encourage physicians to carefully balance the benefits and risks when initiating or renewing a treatment with benzodiazepines and related products in elderly patients."
The French and Canadian researchers examined data from Quebec from a period of at least six years and identified 1,796 cases of Alzheimer's disease which where then individually matched with 7,184 healthy people matched for age, sex, and duration of follow-up.
They found that past use of benzodiazepines was associated with a 51 per cent increased risk fo Alzheimer's disease. The link was stronger with longer exposure to the drugs or use of long-acting versions of the medicines.
In an accompanying editorial Professor Kristine Yaffe of the University of California at San Francisco and Professor Malaz Boustani of the Indiana University Centre for Aging Research, said that in 2012 the American Geriatrics Society included benzodiazepines in a list of drugs that should not be used in older people because of the side effects of brain function.
Dr Liz Coulthard, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Dementia Neurology at University of Bristol, said: "This work provides yet another reason to avoid prescription of benzodiazepines for anything other than very short term relief of insomnia or anxiety.
"In addition to short term cognitive impairment, falls and car accidents already known to be associated with benzodiazepine use, there is a hint from this study that these drugs might in some way increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
“However, we know that Alzheimer's disease pathology accumulates for up to 17 years prior to diagnosis and this study looked at benzodiazepine use well into the course of the pathological cascade in the disease.
"In addition, retrospective studies such as this cannot prove causation. Therefore there is still a possibility that, rather than causing Alzheimer's disease, benzodiazepines tend to be prescribed to patients presenting with anxiety or insomnia as part of an as yet undiagnosed dementia."
Prof Gordon Wilcock, Emeritus Professor of Geratology at University of Oxford, said: “This carefully conducted study provides convincing evidence that the use of benzodiazepines may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and importantly may be another factor we could modify to reduce the occurrence of dementia.
"However, these drugs would have been given to treat symptoms and it is possible that the latter may have been the earliest signs of unrecognised Alzheimer’s disease, although the authors have tried to control for this as far as was possible in their study.
"Ideally more research needs to be undertaken, but it will be difficult to do this prospectively as most clinicians would avoid long term prescription of these drugs in older people.”
Sleeping pills taken by millions linked to Alzheimer's - Telegraph
