Medizinonline Medizinonline
  • News
    • News
    • Market & Medicine
  • Patients
    • Disease patterns
    • Diagnostics
    • Therapy
  • Partner Content
    • Dermatology
      • Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis news
      • Dermatology News
    • Diabetes
      • Dia-Month Club – Type 2 Diabetes
      • Diabetes in Motion
      • Diabetes Podcasts
    • Gastroenterology
      • IBD matters
      • Forum Gastroenterology
      • Ozanimod: ulcerative colitis
      • Reflux Update
    • Immunology
      • Primary immunodeficiency – exchange of experience
    • Vaccinate
      • Herpes zoster
    • Infektiologie
    • Neurology
      • EXPERT ULTRASONIC: Introduction to ultrasound-guided injection
      • MS News
      • MS Therapy in Transition
    • Oncology
      • Swiss Oncology in motion
    • Orthopedics
      • Osteoporosis in motion
    • Phytotherapie
    • Practice Management
      • Aargau Cantonal Bank
      • Claraspital
    • Psychiatry
      • Geriatric Psychiatry
    • Rheumatology
  • Departments
    • Allergology and clinical immunology
    • General Internal Medicine
    • Anesthesiology
    • Angiology
    • Surgery
    • Dermatology and venereology
    • Endocrinology and Diabetology
    • Nutrition
    • Gastroenterology and Hepatology
    • Genetics
    • Geriatrics
    • Gynecology
    • Hematology
    • Infectiology
    • Cardiology
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Emergency and intensive care medicine
    • Nuclear Medicine
    • Oncology
    • Ophthalmology
    • ORL
    • Orthopedics
    • Pediatrics
    • Pharmacology and toxicology
    • Pharmaceutical medicine
    • Phlebology
    • Physical medicine and rehabilitation
    • Pneumology
    • Prevention and health care
    • Psychiatry and psychotherapy
    • Radiology
    • Forensic Medicine
    • Rheumatology
    • Sports Medicine
    • Traumatology and trauma surgery
    • Tropical and travel medicine
    • Urology
    • Dentistry
  • CME & Congresses
    • CME continuing education
    • Congress Reports
    • Congress calendar
  • Practice
    • Noctimed
    • Practice Management
    • Jobs
    • Interviews
  • Log In
  • Register
  • My account
  • Contact
  • English
    • Deutsch
    • Français
    • Italiano
    • Português
    • Español
  • Publications
  • Contact
  • Deutsch
  • English
  • Français
  • Italiano
  • Português
  • Español
Subscribe
Medizinonline Medizinonline
Medizinonline Medizinonline
  • News
    • News
    • Market & Medicine
  • Patienten
    • Krankheitsbilder
    • Diagnostik
    • Therapie
  • Partner Content
    • Dermatology
      • Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis news
      • Dermatology News
    • Diabetes
      • Dia-Month Club – Type 2 Diabetes
      • Diabetes in Motion
      • Diabetes Podcasts
    • Gastroenterology
      • IBD matters
      • Forum Gastroenterology
      • Ozanimod: ulcerative colitis
      • Reflux Update
    • Immunology
      • Primary immunodeficiency – exchange of experience
    • Vaccinate
      • Herpes zoster
    • Infektiologie
    • Neurology
      • EXPERT ULTRASONIC: Introduction to ultrasound-guided injection
      • MS News
      • MS Therapy in Transition
    • Oncology
      • Swiss Oncology in motion
    • Orthopedics
      • Osteoporosis in motion
    • Phytotherapie
    • Practice Management
      • Aargau Cantonal Bank
      • Claraspital
    • Psychiatry
      • Geriatric Psychiatry
    • Rheumatology
  • Departments
    • Fachbereiche 1-13
      • Allergology and clinical immunology
      • General Internal Medicine
      • Anesthesiology
      • Angiology
      • Surgery
      • Dermatology and venereology
      • Endocrinology and Diabetology
      • Nutrition
      • Gastroenterology and Hepatology
      • Genetics
      • Geriatrics
      • Gynecology
      • Hematology
    • Fachbereiche 14-26
      • Infectiology
      • Cardiology
      • Nephrology
      • Neurology
      • Emergency and intensive care medicine
      • Nuclear Medicine
      • Oncology
      • Ophthalmology
      • ORL
      • Orthopedics
      • Pediatrics
      • Pharmacology and toxicology
      • Pharmaceutical medicine
    • Fachbereiche 26-38
      • Phlebology
      • Physical medicine and rehabilitation
      • Phytotherapy
      • Pneumology
      • Prevention and health care
      • Psychiatry and psychotherapy
      • Radiology
      • Forensic Medicine
      • Rheumatology
      • Sports Medicine
      • Traumatology and trauma surgery
      • Tropical and travel medicine
      • Urology
      • Dentistry
  • CME & Congresses
    • CME continuing education
    • Congress Reports
    • Congress calendar
  • Practice
    • Noctimed
    • Practice Management
    • Jobs
    • Interviews
Login

Sie haben noch keinen Account? Registrieren

  • Increased risk of dementia

Benzodiazepine therapy should be given only for a short time

    • General Internal Medicine
    • Neurology
    • Pharmacology and toxicology
    • RX
    • Studies
  • 2 minute read

Research question: To investigate in a case-control study to what extent the use of benzodiazepines (BDP) leads to an increased risk for the occurrence of Alzheimer’s dementia. Total cumulative dose of BDP taken and prodromal syndromes such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances were included as covariatesen.

Background: Approximately 36 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia. Due to demographic trends, this number is expected to double approximately every 20 years. In 2050, 115 million dementia patients are expected worldwide, which means far-reaching social consequences and high costs. Since there are no highly effective therapies yet, prevention is essential. To date, it is already well established that BDPs can lead to passive cognitive impairment. Some studies have also suggested a possible association between dementia and BDP ingestion – but they still have methodological weaknesses.

Patients and Methods: This case-control study included 1796 patients with an initial diagnosis of AD and followed them for six years until the time of analysis. There were further 7184 control subjects matched for sex, age, and follow-up duration included in the analysis and followed up and studied accordingly. In addition, we considered confounding variables such as diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, AIDS/HIV, and other diseases.

Results: BDP use was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing AD (odds ratio 1.51 [1,36–1,69]). When anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance are considered as covariates, the result remains significant (OR 1.43 [1,28–1,60]). The risk of developing AD while taking BDP increases with the half-life of the BDP taken (OR for long-acting BDP 1.70; for short-acting BDP 1.43), and a significant dose-response relationship is also found. If 91-180 daily doses of BDP are taken, an OR of 1.32 (1.01-1.74) is found; at >180 daily doses, the risk increases further (OR 1.84 [1,62–2,08]).

Authors’ conclusions: BDP use was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing AD (43-51% increase in risk). Because risk increases with increased cumulative BDP intake, BDPs could be directly responsible. Careless long-term use of BDP should therefore be viewed critically.

Comment: The study, like almost every study, has limitations: For example, the researchers were only able to access a database, not the patients directly. Thus, if the diagnosis was made incorrectly or delayed, this will distort the results. One might further note that cognitive deficits associated with BDP use may have been misinterpreted as dementia. However, in summary, the strengths of the study outweigh the weaknesses: very high case number, long observation period, dose-risk relationship, and control of important covariates. The result is supported by five other studies and there are several biological explanations for it: for example, the reduction of BDP receptors correlates with cognitive deficits. Furthermore, long-term use reduces the brain’s cognitive reserve capacity.

Although BDPs have important benefits in the acute treatment of, for example, anxiety disorders or sleep disorders, in light of current findings (and recommendations of international guidelines), BDP therapy should only be given for a short period of time, i.e., no longer than three months.

InFo NEUROLOGY & PSYCHIATRY 2016; 14(4): 29.

Autoren
  • PD Dr. med. Jochen Mutschler
Publikation
  • InFo NEUROLOGIE & PSYCHIATRIE
Related Topics
  • BDP
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Dementia risk
Previous Article
  • Breast and thyroid cancer

How great is the risk of a second malignancy?

  • Gynecology
  • News
  • Oncology
  • RX
  • Studies
View Post
Next Article
  • Whole brain irradiation or stereotaxy?

Options for radiotherapy in brain metastases

  • Education
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Radiology
  • RX
  • Studies
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • 30 min
  • Chemsex - MSM, sex, chrystal meth & co.

Medical and psychosocial perspectives

    • CME continuing education
    • General Internal Medicine
    • Infectiology
    • Pharmacology and toxicology
    • Prevention and health care
    • Psychiatry and psychotherapy
    • RX
View Post
  • 14 min
  • IBDmatters - Advanced Therapeutic Treatments

Examinations and considerations before therapy

    • CME continuing education
    • Gastroenterology and Hepatology
    • General Internal Medicine
    • Infectiology
    • RX
    • Studies
    • Training with partner
View Post
  • 12 min
  • Liver steatosis with metabolic dysfunction

New nomenclature for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

    • CME continuing education
    • Gastroenterology and Hepatology
    • General Internal Medicine
    • RX
    • Studies
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Obesity in childhood and adolescence

Multifactorial disease with multiple implications

    • Congress Reports
    • General Internal Medicine
    • Nutrition
    • Pediatrics
    • Prevention and health care
    • RX
View Post
  • 9 min
  • Venous thromboembolism prevention

PCSK9 inhibitors: Current evidence, mechanisms and unanswered questions

    • Cardiology
    • Education
    • RX
    • Studies
View Post
  • 4 min
  • Prostate cancer

NeuroSAFE: New surgical technique preserves erectile function

    • Congress Reports
    • Oncology
    • RX
    • Studies
    • Surgery
    • Urology
View Post
  • 7 min
  • Study report

Scabies treatment: benzyl benzoate in direct comparison with permethrin

    • Allergology and clinical immunology
    • Dermatology and venereology
    • Education
    • General Internal Medicine
    • Infectiology
    • RX
    • Studies
    • Tropical and travel medicine
View Post
  • 14 min
  • Innovative approaches in glioblastoma treatment

Synergistic combination therapies and the potential of phytotherapy and mycotherapy

    • RX
    • Education
    • Neurology
    • Oncology
    • Pharmaceutical medicine
    • Phytotherapy
    • Studies
Top Partner Content
  • Forum Gastroenterology

    Zum Thema
  • Herpes zoster

    Zum Thema
  • Dermatology News

    Zum Thema
Top CME content
  • 1
    Medical and psychosocial perspectives
  • 2
    New nomenclature for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
  • 3
    Examinations and considerations before therapy
  • 4
    Interplay between cancer and mental illness
  • 5
    Constant dripping – alcohol and cancer

Newsletter

Sign up and stay up to date

Subscribe
Medizinonline
  • Contact
  • General terms and conditions
  • Imprint

Input your search keywords and press Enter.