Abstract
Benzodiazepines are World Health Organisation essential medicines used in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, anaesthesia, sedation, anxiolysis, behavioural disturbance, epilepsy, insomnia, palliative care, and muscle spasm. Despite their widespread use concerns remain over their long-term safety through both neuronal and non-neuronal effects. We conducted a systematic review to identify vulnerable populations of patients who may be at increased risk of harm from benzodiazepines. We identified three potentially “at risk” groups of patients, those with renal disease, lung disease and those recently hospitalised. However methodological limitations including selection bias, vague descriptors of benzodiazepine use and inappropriate grouping together of benzodiazepines with other medications, precluded definitive conclusions. Future studies should concentrate on these groups to identify the long-term safety of benzodiazepines in these patient groups.
Keywords: Benzodiazepine, mortality, infection, renal failure, dialysis, pneumonia, delirium, anxiolysis, anxiolysis, behavioural disturbance, epilepsy, insomnia, palliative care, muscle spasm, prognosis, anaesthesia, sedation
Current Drug Safety
Title:Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use and Mortality: Are we Doing the Right Studies?
Volume: 7 Issue: 5
Author(s): Umesh Kalum Amarasuriya, Puja R. Myles and Robert David Sanders
Affiliation:
Keywords: Benzodiazepine, mortality, infection, renal failure, dialysis, pneumonia, delirium, anxiolysis, anxiolysis, behavioural disturbance, epilepsy, insomnia, palliative care, muscle spasm, prognosis, anaesthesia, sedation
Abstract: Benzodiazepines are World Health Organisation essential medicines used in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal, anaesthesia, sedation, anxiolysis, behavioural disturbance, epilepsy, insomnia, palliative care, and muscle spasm. Despite their widespread use concerns remain over their long-term safety through both neuronal and non-neuronal effects. We conducted a systematic review to identify vulnerable populations of patients who may be at increased risk of harm from benzodiazepines. We identified three potentially “at risk” groups of patients, those with renal disease, lung disease and those recently hospitalised. However methodological limitations including selection bias, vague descriptors of benzodiazepine use and inappropriate grouping together of benzodiazepines with other medications, precluded definitive conclusions. Future studies should concentrate on these groups to identify the long-term safety of benzodiazepines in these patient groups.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Kalum Amarasuriya Umesh, R. Myles Puja and David Sanders Robert, Long-Term Benzodiazepine Use and Mortality: Are we Doing the Right Studies?, Current Drug Safety 2012; 7 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1574886311207050007
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1574886311207050007 |
Print ISSN 1574-8863 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 2212-3911 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
The Anticonvulsant Effects of Ketogenic Diet on Epileptic Seizures and Potential Mechanisms
Current Neuropharmacology Antiepileptic Activity of Novel 2-(substituted benzylidene)-7-(4- fluorophenyl)-5-(furan-2-yl)-2H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidin-3(7H)-one Derivatives
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery PET Tracers for Mapping Adenosine Receptors as Probes for Diagnosis of CNS Disorders
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Association and Causal Relationship of Midlife Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders with Old Age Cognition
Current Alzheimer Research Valeriana jatamansi Constituent IVHD-valtrate As a Novel Therapeutic Agent to Human Ovarian Cancer: in vitro and in vivo Activities and Mechanisms
Current Cancer Drug Targets Psychopharmacologic Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder: A Review
Adolescent Psychiatry Src Family Kinases in the Central Nervous System: Their Emerging Role in Pathophysiology of Migraine and Neuropathic Pain
Current Neuropharmacology Coenzyme Q10 in Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Current Drug Targets HIV-1 Induced CNS Dysfunction: Current Overview and Research Priorities
Current HIV Research 1,2,4-Triazine Analogs as Novel Class of Therapeutic Agents
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Neurocysticercosis: The Enigmatic Disease
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry The Role of Melatonin in Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington's Disease and Cerebral Ischemia
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets GABA Transporters and GABA-Transaminase as Drug Targets
Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders Does Phosphodiesterase 11A (PDE11A) Hold Promise as a Future Therapeutic Target?
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Function of LncRNA FTX in Several Common Cancers
Current Pharmaceutical Design Role of Physical Exercise as Complementary Treatment for Epilepsy and other Brain Disorders
Current Pharmaceutical Design Comparison of Status Epilepticus Models Induced by Pilocarpine and Nerve Agents - A Systematic Review of the Underlying Aetiology and Adopted Therapeutic Approaches
Current Medicinal Chemistry [General Articles] Cannabinoids: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Applications in the CNS
Current Medicinal Chemistry HIV-1, Methamphetamine and Astrocyte Glutamate Regulation: Combined Excitotoxic Implications for Neuro-AIDS
Current HIV Research Search and Rescue: Identification of Cannabinoid Actions Relevant for Neuronal Survival and Protection
Current Neuropharmacology