Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
Volume 36, Issue 6, Pages 917-925Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/gps.5494
Keywords
activities of daily living; Alzheimer's disease; Antidepressive Agents; benzodiazepines; cognitive decline; dementia; functional disability; hypnotics and sedatives; Lewy body dementia
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Funding
- Helse Vest [911973]
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The study aimed to investigate the effects of benzodiazepines and antidepressants prescription on cognitive and functional decline in older adults with AD and LBD. The results showed that the combination of benzodiazepines and antidepressants was associated with faster functional decline in LBD patients, while BZD and BZD-ADep prescription was linked to greater functional deterioration in AD patients. ADep alone did not have significant positive or negative associations with the outcomes.
Objectives We aim to study the effects of the prescription of benzodiazepines and antidepressants on cognitive and functional decline in older adults living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD) over a 5-year follow-up. Methods This is a longitudinal analysis of a Norwegian cohort study entitled The Dementia Study of Western Norway (DemVest). We included 196 patients newly diagnosed with AD (n = 111) and LBD (n = 85), followed annually for 5 years. Three prescription groups were defined: only benzodiazepines (BZD), only antidepressants (ADep), and the combination of benzodiazepines and antidepressants (BZD-ADep). Linear mixed-effects models were conducted to analyze the effect of the defined groups on the outcomes. The outcomes were functional decline, measured by the Rapid Disability Rating Scale-2, and cognition measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination. Results Prescription of the combination of benzodiazepines and antidepressants in LBD was associated with faster functional decline. In AD, the prescription of BZD and BZD-ADep was associated with greater functional deterioration. ADep alone did not show positive or negative significant associations with the studied outcomes. Conclusions BZD and especially the combination of BZD and ADep are associated with functional decline in AD and LBD and should be used cautiously.
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