Benzodiazepines and Hip Fractures
Authors: Gerson T. Lesser
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2007)

Letters4 September 2007Benzodiazepines and Hip FracturesGerson T. Lesser, MDGerson T. Lesser, MDFrom Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Jewish Home and Hospital, New York, NY 10029.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-147-5-200709040-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The use of hypnotics in general, and benzodiazepines in particular, has been largely proscribed in geriatric teaching and practice for some years. Wagner and coworkers (1) have served us well by showing definitively that an intervention effecting major reduction of benzodiazepine use in a large, vulnerable population failed to lower the incidence of hip fractures. The authors sensibly conclude that discrepancies between their observations and those of earlier reports are probably explained by unmeasured confounders. In a 1999 review and meta-analysis of psychotropic drugs and falls, Leipzig and colleagues (2) similarly noted the need for further adjustment ...References1. Wagner AK, Ross-Degnan D, Gurwitz JH, Zhang F, Gilden DB, Cosler L, et al. Effect of New York State regulatory action on benzodiazepine prescribing and hip fracture rates. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:96-103. [PMID: 17227933] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Leipzig RM, Cumming RG, Tinetti ME. Drugs and falls in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis: I. Psychotropic drugs. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1999;47:30-9. [PMID: 9920227] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Brassington GS, King AC, Bliwise DL. Sleep problems as a risk factor for falls in a sample of community-dwelling adults aged 64-99 years. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2000;48:1234-40. [PMID: 11037010] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Avidan AY, Fries BE, James ML, Szafara KL, Wright GT, Chervin RD. Insomnia and hypnotic use, recorded in the minimum data set, as predictors of falls and hip fractures in Michigan nursing homes. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005;53:955-62. [PMID: 15935017] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Jewish Home and Hospital, New York, NY 10029.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffect of New York State Regulatory Action on Benzodiazepine Prescribing and Hip Fracture Rates Anita K. Wagner , Dennis Ross-Degnan , Jerry H. Gurwitz , Fang Zhang , Daniel B. Gilden , Leon Cosler , and Stephen B. Soumerai Benzodiazepines and Hip Fractures Anita K. Wagner , Dennis Ross-Degnan , Stephen B. Soumerai , and Jerry H. Gurwitz Correction: Benzodiazepines and Hip Fractures Metrics Cited byZopiclone Use and Risk of Fractures in Older People: Population-Based StudyWhat is the point of guidelines? Benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use by an elderly populationTrends of benzodiazepine prescribing and the risk of hip fracture in elderly patients in Taiwan: A population-based studyCurrent use of benzodiazepines in anxiety disorders 4 September 2007Volume 147, Issue 5Page: 347-348KeywordsElderlyFallsHip fracturesInsomniaNursing homesResearch designSedativesSleepStatistical data ePublished: 4 September 2007 Issue Published: 4 September 2007 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2007 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...