Abstract
BackgroundTo date, the relationship between zolpidem use and subsequent risk of glaucoma in a Taiwanese population has not been assessed.MethodsWe used data from the National Health Insurance system to investigate whether zolpidem use was related to glaucoma risk. A 1:4 matched case-control study was conducted. The cases were patients newly diagnosed with glaucoma from 2001 to 2010. The controls were randomly selected non-glaucoma subjects matched by sex and age (±5 years). Zolpidem exposure and/or the average dosage of zolpidem used (mg/year) were evaluated. Medical comorbidities were considered as confounding factors. Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the potential risk of zolpidem exposure on glaucoma with/without adjustment for the effects of confounding variables.ResultsThe exposure rate of zolpidem use in the glaucoma group was significantly higher than that of the control group (2.8% vs. 2.0%, P < 0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of the risk of glaucoma for those with zolpidem use vs. those without was 1.19 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.38). Compared to non-zolpidem users, zolpidem users with an average dose of more than 200 mg/year had significantly increased risk of glaucoma (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.03–1.68).ConclusionsThis study suggests that the use of zolpidem might increase the risk of subsequent glaucoma. Further confirmatory studies are recommended to clarify this important issue.
Highlights
Insomnia is a quite common and distressing problem in the general population
The data of the study was collected from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID), which is a part of the NHIRD
After adjusted for hypertension, diabetes, CAD, hyperlipidemia, depression, and anxiety, individuals with zolpidem use had a 1.19-fold increased risk of glaucoma compared to those without zolpidem use
Summary
Insomnia is a quite common and distressing problem in the general population. Researchers used to define insomnia as prolonged sleep latency, reduced sleep efficiency, or more than 3 episodes of sleep disturbance per week.[1]. The relationship between zolpidem use and subsequent risk of glaucoma in a Taiwanese population has not been assessed. The controls were randomly selected non-glaucoma subjects matched by sex and age (±5 years). Multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the potential risk of zolpidem exposure on glaucoma with/without adjustment for the effects of confounding variables. Results: The exposure rate of zolpidem use in the glaucoma group was significantly higher than that of the control group (2.8% vs 2.0%, P < 0.0001). Compared to non-zolpidem users, zolpidem users with an average dose of more than 200 mg/year had significantly increased risk of glaucoma (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.03–1.68). Conclusions: This study suggests that the use of zolpidem might increase the risk of subsequent glaucoma. Further confirmatory studies are recommended to clarify this important issue
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