A popular drug for anxiety is linked to a massive increase in risk of the elderly developing dementia, researchers warned today.
People over the age of 65 who are prescribed benzodiazepine face a 50% increased risk of developing the problem, according to a report in the British Medical Journal.
The findings come from a study in France of more than 1,000 patients.
The researchers say there is increasing evidence that the drug contributes to the development of dementia – although the latest findings could simply mean that anxiety and insomnia are linked in some way to the disease.
In France the drug is prescribed to 30% of people over the age of 65.
The research was undertaken over 20 years and the researchers sought to eliminate factors that might link use of the drug to dementia – such as symptoms of depression.
During the research some 95 of the patients used the drug and 30 of these developed dementia. Another 223 of those who did not take the drug developed dementia.
Researcher Bernard Bégaud, of Inserm and the University of Bordeaux, France, writes: "Considering the extent to which benzodiazepines are prescribed and the number of potential adverse effects indiscriminate widespread use should be cautioned against."
British Medical Journal September 28 2012
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