TY - JOUR T1 - Benzodiazepine use and risk of dementia: evidence from the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS) JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health JO - J Epidemiol Community Health SP - 869 LP - 873 DO - 10.1136/jech-2011-200314 VL - 66 IS - 10 AU - John Gallacher AU - Peter Elwood AU - Janet Pickering AU - Antony Bayer AU - Mark Fish AU - Yoav Ben-Shlomo Y1 - 2012/10/01 UR - http://jech.bmj.com/content/66/10/869.abstract N2 - Background Benzodiazepine use is widespread in older people, although its benefit is uncertain.Aim To investigate the long-term effect of benzodiazepine use upon dementia risk.Methods A prospective cohort of men seen on five occasions over 22 years with full medication histories, repeat measures of cognitive function and a clinical diagnosis of dementia.Results Of 1134 men with complete data, 103 (9.1%) had been taking benzodiazepines regularly at one or more phases. These men showed a marked increased incidence of dementia (OR=3.50, 95% CI 1.57 to 7.79, p=0.002), which persisted despite adjustment for psychological distress and other covariates. Men exposed in earlier phases showed a greater association than more recent exposure, counter to what one would expect if this was due to reverse causation, though we failed to demonstrate a dose–response effect with drug duration.Conclusion The taking of benzodiazepines is associated with an increased risk of dementia. ER -