Alzheimer's Patient Drugs Can Increase Risk of Pneumonia | Chiropractor | Call: 915-850-0900 | Chiropractic + Wellness | Scoop.it
From www.elpasobackclinic.com - May 4, 2017 2:22 PM

Alzheimer’s patients given sedatives such as Valium or Xanax may have an increased risk for pneumonia, a new study warns.


People with Alzheimer’s disease are often given these drugs, called benzodiazepines, over the long term, the researchers said. Examples of benzodiazepines include alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan).


“An increased risk of pneumonia is an important finding to consider in treatment of patients with Alzheimer disease. Pneumonia often leads to admission to hospital, and patients with dementia are at increased risk of death related to pneumonia,” Dr. Heidi Taipale, of Kuopio Research Center of Geriatric Care at the University of Eastern Finland, and co-authors wrote.


For the study, the researchers reviewed data from nearly 50,000 Alzheimer’s patients in Finland. The patients’ average age was 80 and about two-thirds were women. The study found that people with Alzheimer’s who took benzodiazepines were 30 percent more likely to develop pneumonia than those who weren’t given the sedatives.