Use of benzodiazepines in the Italian general population: prevalence, pattern of use and risk factors for use

Magrini, Nicola; Vaccheri, Alberto; Parma, E; D’Alessandro, Roberto; Bottoni, Andrea; Occhionero, Miranda; Motola, Domenico

doi:10.1007/s002280050063

Cited by 76 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Psychotropic use was greatest among women, being twice that of men in 2003. This finding is supported by other literature 1,6,7 which relates this finding in part to the greater use of health services by women than men. 8 On the other hand, gender is also associated with a distinct medical perspective of the need to use psychotropics.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Modificações nos padrões de consumo de psicofármacos em localidade do Sul do Brasil

Rodrigues¹,

Facchini²,

Lima³

2006

Rev. Saúde Pública

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ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence and patterns of psychotropic use by population and to compare the results with a study carried out in 1994. Methods This is a population-based cross-sectional study carried out in 2003 with 3,542 participants aged 15 or older who lived in an urban area in Southern Brazil. Two-week recall data were collected in household interviews through the same questionnaire used in the 1994 study. The variables studied were age, gender, race, education, family income, marital status, smoking, medical diagnosis of hypertension, and physician visit at last three months. Pearson's Chi-square and linear tendency were used in the bivariate analysis. Four levels of multivariate analysis was performed. ResultsThe overall prevalence of psychotropic use was 9.9% (CI 95%: 8.9-10.9). There was no significant difference among standardized age groups when compared to the prevalence rates observed in 1994. Higher psychotropic use was associated with being female, older age, medical diagnosis of hypertension, and health service utilization. Of those interviewed, 74% of those drug users were using psychotropic drugs for over three months. Conclusions A decade later, prevalence remained high, yet psychotropic drug use did not increase. The association between health service utilization and consumption shows the importance of the appropriate prescription of psychotropic drugs and regular followup of those prescribed them by physicians.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Modificações nos padrões de consumo de psicofármacos em localidade do Sul do Brasil

Rodrigues¹,

Facchini²,

Lima³

2006

Rev. Saúde Pública

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“…However, evidence on the association between AX-HY use and socioeconomic groups remains still contradictory [56][57][58][59][60]. Consequently, our results cannot be considered as representative of the regional population as a whole.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Dispensing of anxiolytics and hypnotics in southeastern France: demographic factors and determinants of geographic variations

Bocquier

Bezzou

Nauleau³

et al. 2008

Fundamemntal Clinical Pharma

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We examined geographic variations in the dispensing of anxiolytics and hypnotics (AX‐HY) and their determinants at the canton level in southeastern France. Data were collected from the 2005 outpatient database of the Southeastern France General Health Insurance Fund, covering more than 70% of the population. We calculated the annual age‐adjusted prevalence rates of subjects filling prescriptions for AX‐HY at least once (to measure ‘overall use’) and at least six times (‘chronic use’), assessed geographic variations with the extremal quotient and weighted coefficient of variation, and conducted simple and multiple linear regression analysis to study their determinants. Prevalence rates of overall and chronic AX‐HY use were 15.5% and 5.9%, respectively, and varied significantly between cantons, by a factor of 3–4. The prevalence of mental illness and that of chronic illness were independently and positively associated with overall and chronic use; unemployment rates and mean family income were positively associated only with overall use. Density of general practitioners did not explain geographic variations. These results provide a basis for targeting interventions to reduce AX‐HY use and promoting appropriate discontinuation. Future studies should examine trends in those geographic variations.

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“…Several cross-sectional studies have shown that non-participation in the labour market seems to be associated with more frequent use of anxiolytics, hypnotics and/or benzodiazepines [3][4][5][6][7]. This association is, however, difficult to interpret in crosssectional studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disability pension is associated with the use of benzodiazepines 20 years later: A prospective study

Hartz

Lundesgaard

Tverdal

2009

Scand J Public Health

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ObjectivesThe Norwegian Government urges that actions are needed to stimulate the working capacity in disability pension (DP) recipients with such a potential. Identification of factors that may impair rehabilitation efforts, such as information on the start of benzodiazepines in DP recipients, may be useful information in this context. Thus, the aim of the study was to describe the association between receipt of disability pension and later prescriptions of benzodiazepines among non-users at baseline. MethodsWe followed a cohort reporting non-use of benzodiazepines, 6645 men and 6455 ResultsIn both gender, the proportion started on at least one prescription of a benzodiazepine was about doubled among those reporting to be on a DP 20 years in the past, 21 % of all men and 29 % of all women, respectively.Univariate odds ratio for a benzodiazepine prescription for men and women on a DP were 2.6 (95% CI 1.5-4.4) and 2.1 (1.5-2.9), respectively, as compared with those not receiving a DP. After adjustment for alcohol, smoking habits, physical activity, socioeconomic and health variables, the odds ratios was lowered for both sexes, being 2.1 (1.2-3.7) (men) and 1.6 (1.1-2.3) (women). Conclusions 4For both men and women the chance of being prescribed benzodiazepines was higher among those reporting to DP recipients 20 years in the past.

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Use of benzodiazepines in the Italian general population: prevalence, pattern of use and risk factors for use

Cited by 76 publications

References 12 publications

Modificações nos padrões de consumo de psicofármacos em localidade do Sul do Brasil

Modificações nos padrões de consumo de psicofármacos em localidade do Sul do Brasil

Dispensing of anxiolytics and hypnotics in southeastern France: demographic factors and determinants of geographic variations

Disability pension is associated with the use of benzodiazepines 20 years later: A prospective study

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