Use of Common Sedative Linked to Pneumonia Risk in Alzheimer Patients

Use of benzodiazepines is associated with an increased risk of pneumonia among patients with Alzheimer disease, according to the results of a recent study.

To investigate whether benzodiazepines and similarly acting non-benzodiazepines (Z-drugs) could increase pneumonia risk, researchers conducted an analysis of data from Finnish adults who received a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease from 2005 to 2011, from the Medication Use and Alzheimer Disease cohort. Among the 49,484 eligible participants, 5232 were taking benzodiazepines and 3269 were taking Z-drugs. These participants were matched 1:1 with participants not taking those drugs.
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Collectively, use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs was associated with an increased risk of pneumonia (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.22, confidence interval [CI] 1.05-2.42). Seperately, benzodiazepine use was significantly associated with increased pneumonia risk (adjusted HR 1.28, CI 1.07-1.54), and Z-drug use was not (adjusted HR 1.10, CI 0.84-1.44).

“Benzodiazepine use was associated with an increased risk of pneumonia among patients with Alzheimer disease. Risk of pneumonia should be considered when weighing the benefits and risks of benzodiazepines in this population,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Taipale H, Tolppanen A, Koponen M, et al. Risk of pneumonia associated with incident benzodiazepine use among community-dwelling adults with Alzheimer disease [published online April 10, 2017]. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.160126.