Abstract
Benzodiazepines are the most widely used psychoactive drugs, despite the risks associated with their prolonged use, especially among older adults. To investigate the use of benzodiazepines among community-dwelling people aged ≥ 75 years. The study was conducted among members of the baseline (in 1997) and survivors (in 2012) of the Bambuí Project cohort. The prevalence of benzodiazepine use was estimated separately for each year, and the comparison between them was performed using the Poisson regression model with robust variance. The prevalence of benzodiazepine use was higher in 2012 (33.9%) compared to 1997 (24.9%). After multiple adjustments, the difference in prevalence did not remain significant in study population (PR = 1.25; 95%CI 0.99 - 1.60), unlike that observed in the female stratum (PR = 1.38; 95%CI 1.04 - 1.84). Clonazepam was the strongest-growing drug between the two years (PR = 4.94; 95%CI 2.54 - 9.62). This study showed an important increase in benzodiazepine use in an older adult population. These results are concerning as these drugs are contraindicated for use in older adults, mainly if used chronically, and are available in the national list of essential medicines. Health professionals should be aware of the risks involved in its use regarding this population.
Highlights
Benzodiazepines (BZD) are the most widely used psychiatric drugs and have pharmacological properties that provide sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant action[1,2]
This investigation is part of the Bambuí Project, a longitudinal population-based study developed in the city of the same name, located in southwest Minas Gerais state, INCREASED USE OF BENZODIAZEPINES AMONG OLDER ADULTS: BAMBUÍ PROJECT
There was a total of 769 older adults in the studied population; among the total eligible (n = 882), 113 were excluded (48 from the 1997 cohort and 65 from the 2012 cohort) due to the lack of information for at least one of the variables included in the investigation
Summary
Benzodiazepines (BZD) are the most widely used psychiatric drugs and have pharmacological properties that provide sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant action[1,2] They are considered effective in the management of sleep and anxiety disorders, they have been related to the occurrence of adverse events, and their prescription to the older adults is potentially inadequate, especially for prolonged use[3]. Conclusion: This study showed an important increase in benzodiazepine use in an older adult population. These results are concerning as these drugs are contraindicated for use in older adults, mainly if used chronically, and are available in the national list of essential medicines.
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