Jorm A F, Grayson D, Creasey H, Waite L, Broe G A
NHMRC Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Centre, Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory.
Aust N Z J Public Health. 2000 Feb;24(1):7-10. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-842x.2000.tb00715.x.
To investigate the prevalence of long-term benzodiazepine use in an elderly community sample, and factors associated with such use.
Data came from the Sydney Older Persons Study, a longitudinal study of people aged 75 or over. There were 337 subjects who were interviewed in 1991-93, and subsequently followed up after three and 4.5 years. At the first interview, subjects were assessed for socio-demographic characteristics, physical and mental health, and use of health services. At the first and subsequent interviews, subjects were asked about use of medications, including benzodiazepines.
There were 16.6% who were using benzodiazepines at the time of all three interviews, while a further 19.6% were using them at one or two interviews. In a multivariate ordered logit regression model, long-term benzodiazepine use was associated with treatment for nervous conditions, restless sleep, being female, being divorced and greater contact with medical services.
The prevalence of benzodiazepine use in the elderly is high and much of this use is long term. The high prevalence of benzodiazepine use stands in contrast to the findings from national surveys that the elderly living in the community tend to have better mental health than younger age groups.
Efforts are needed to reduce the number of elderly people becoming long-term users. The use of benzodiazepines in this age group is of particular concern, because they may be a risk factor for falls and for cognitive impairment in the elderly.
调查老年社区样本中长期使用苯二氮䓬类药物的情况以及与此类使用相关的因素。
数据来自悉尼老年人研究，这是一项对75岁及以上人群的纵向研究。1991 - 1993年对337名受试者进行了访谈，随后在3年和4.5年后进行了随访。在首次访谈时，对受试者的社会人口学特征、身心健康状况以及医疗服务使用情况进行了评估。在首次及后续访谈中，询问受试者关于药物使用情况，包括苯二氮䓬类药物。
在所有三次访谈时均使用苯二氮䓬类药物的占16.6%，而在一次或两次访谈时使用的占19.6%。在多变量有序logit回归模型中，长期使用苯二氮䓬类药物与治疗神经疾病、睡眠不安、女性、离异以及更多地接触医疗服务有关。
老年人中苯二氮䓬类药物的使用率很高，且大部分使用是长期的。苯二氮䓬类药物的高使用率与全国性调查结果形成对比，全国性调查显示社区中的老年人往往比年轻人群心理健康状况更好。
需要努力减少老年人成为长期使用者的数量。在这个年龄组中使用苯二氮䓬类药物尤其令人担忧，因为它们可能是老年人跌倒和认知障碍的一个风险因素。
