Benzodiazepine Use Might Raise Risk for Alzheimer Disease

Some evidence suggests that benzodiazepine use is associated with excess risk for dementia; however, benzodiazepines sometimes are prescribed for prodromes of dementia (e.g., anxiety, insomnia). In this case-control study, investigators examined the association between exposure to benzodiazepines and risk for developing Alzheimer disease (AD).

Cases were 1800 randomly selected older community dwellers (age, >66) in Quebec who had received first diagnoses of AD and had been followed for at least 6 years before their AD diagnoses. Controls were 7200 similar residents who were matched to cases by age, sex, and duration of follow-up. To minimize reverse causality, only benzodiazepine exposure that occurred ≥5 years before diagnosis of AD was con…