Medication for anxiety and sleep problems aggravates the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study.
Researchers found that taking these pills for three months or longer spiked the risk of Alzheimer's disease by up to 51 percent. The study examined the long-term use of benzodiazepines, which include diazepam and lorazepam, in elderly residents living in Canada.
Past researches have shown that people who take benzodiazepine had more chances of developing dementia. But they could not find the causal association between benzodiazepines and dementia.
However, this study reveals that, while still not definitive, there is substantial evidence that benzodiazepine use increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
The study findings also showed a dose-response relationship between benzodiazepines and the neurodegenerative disorder. The team found that the dementia risk was more in people exposed to long-acting benzodiazepines than those exposed to short-acting ones.
The team noted that the findings were same even after they adjusted for anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.
According to the study, the medications "should be of short duration and not exceed three months."
"The findings are major importance for public health, especially considering the prevalence and chronicity of benzodiazepine use in elderly populations and the high and increasing incidence of dementia in developed countries," the study read.
The researchers further stated that it was now important to encourage physicians to carefully balance the benefits and risks when initiating or renewing a treatment with benzodiazepines and related products in elderly patients.
The findings were published in the British Medical Journal.
