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Research article
Gerard Piñol
Hospital Universitari Santa Maria Lleida-IRBLleida
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4495-2113
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This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: To determine the trend in the consumption prevalence of benzodiazepines (BZDs) and drugs related to BZDs (Z-drugs) in the population of the Health Region of Lleida to explore patterns of use and characteristics associated between 2002 and 2015.
Methods: Retrospective community cohort study carried out between 2002 and 2015 consisting of individuals from a Health Region of 358,157 inhabitants in 2015. The consumption of BZDs was evaluated using prescription billing data from the Public Health System . All types of BZDs and their analogues that have been approved by the drug agency were included. Trends regarding age and sex were investigated.
Results: A total of 249,471 individuals generated 338,148 dispensations. Overall, 53% were women, and the mean age was 60 years. The prevalence of BZD use in 2015 was 14.2%—18.8% in women and 9.6% in men—and was 36% in those over 65 years. According to the half-life of BZDs, the prevalence of short-intermediate BZD use was 9.7%, 5.5% for intermediate-long BZDs, and 0.8% for Z-drugs. The evolution in consumption showed a progressive decline, from 15.3% in 2002 to 14.2% in 2015, which is attributed to a decrease in consumption of intermediate-long BZDs (8.0% vs. 5.5%) and Z-drugs (1.4% vs. 0.8%).
Conclusion: The prescription prevalence of BZDs and Z-drugs was high, although a small reduction was observed during this time period. The population over 65 was the most prevalent in their consumption despite cognitive risk and falls. Integral actions are required to lower their prescription rate.
Keywords
Benzodiazepines, sedative-hypnotics, prescribing trends, drug safety, drug utilization
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A new preprint design is coming!
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This is a preprint, a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Research article
Gerard Piñol
Hospital Universitari Santa Maria Lleida-IRBLleida
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4495-2113
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
History
CURRENT STATUS: Posted
View the published article at BMC Public Health.
Version 1
Posted 27 Sep, 2019
No community comments so far
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Toxicology
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published article at BMC Public Health.
Background: To determine the trend in the consumption prevalence of benzodiazepines (BZDs) and drugs related to BZDs (Z-drugs) in the population of the Health Region of Lleida to explore patterns of use and characteristics associated between 2002 and 2015.
Methods: Retrospective community cohort study carried out between 2002 and 2015 consisting of individuals from a Health Region of 358,157 inhabitants in 2015. The consumption of BZDs was evaluated using prescription billing data from the Public Health System . All types of BZDs and their analogues that have been approved by the drug agency were included. Trends regarding age and sex were investigated.
Results: A total of 249,471 individuals generated 338,148 dispensations. Overall, 53% were women, and the mean age was 60 years. The prevalence of BZD use in 2015 was 14.2%—18.8% in women and 9.6% in men—and was 36% in those over 65 years. According to the half-life of BZDs, the prevalence of short-intermediate BZD use was 9.7%, 5.5% for intermediate-long BZDs, and 0.8% for Z-drugs. The evolution in consumption showed a progressive decline, from 15.3% in 2002 to 14.2% in 2015, which is attributed to a decrease in consumption of intermediate-long BZDs (8.0% vs. 5.5%) and Z-drugs (1.4% vs. 0.8%).
Conclusion: The prescription prevalence of BZDs and Z-drugs was high, although a small reduction was observed during this time period. The population over 65 was the most prevalent in their consumption despite cognitive risk and falls. Integral actions are required to lower their prescription rate.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
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