Relationship between benzodiazepine use and the development of Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia in older adults and represents a major global public health issue. Various studies have suggested a possible association between chronic use of benzodiazepines (BDZ) and the risk of developing AD. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the relationship between BDZ use and the development of AD through a systematic review of human studies conducted over the past 15 years. Six case-control and cohort studies were included, comprising a total of 659,756 patients. Five out of six studies showed a positive association between BDZ use and the risk of AD (OR=1.30; 95% CI: 1.09–1.54; p<0.00001). The findings suggest that prolonged use of BDZ may be a risk factor for developing AD, possibly due to its effects on synaptic plasticity and memory. However, there are methodological limitations and confounding factors such as uncontrolled comorbidities. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence on the long-term effects of BDZ use in older adults and highlights the need for cautious prescription as well as further large-scale longitudinal research.