Sleeping pills and anxiolytics can make 51 percent. increase the risk of dementia, researchers in Canada and France say in the British Medical Journal.
Lead author Sophie Billioti de Gage of the University of Bordeaux said the risk of dementia from taking these drugs is greater the more often and for longer they are used.
The French researcher believes that this conclusion is prompted by the analysis of data on the health of 1796 Quebec (a province of Canada) residents aged 66 and over. They all had symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and were taking sleeping pills and sedatives containing benzodiazepines. The researchers compared their data with the health data of nearly 7000 people of the same age in the same region of Canada who had no symptoms of dementia. On this basis, French and Canadian specialists calculated that benzodiazepines taken for at least three months by 51%. increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Sophie Billioti de Gage admits that a direct link between benzodiazepines and dementia has not been shown, but the correlation is very strong.
Dr. Eric Karran Alzheimer’s Research UK has doubts, however. In a statement for BBC News, he admits that this is an important study, but emphasizes that his weakness is that sleep disturbance and anxiety may be the first symptom of just developing Alzheimer’s disease. Drugs containing benzodiazepines could therefore be administered to people who were already ill.
There is no doubt, however, that benzodiazepines should not be used chronically, as their therapeutic efficacy declines over time, and in addition, in some people, they can lead to mental and physical dependence. In the elderly, they reduce psychomotor performance, which makes them more prone to falls.
Alzheimer’s disease affects 36 million people worldwide, and the risk of this disease increases with age. The Alzheimer’s Society in the UK predicts that in 20 years, as life expectancy increases, the number of patients may even double. (PAP)