@article{JacobRappKostev2017,
  author    = {Jacob, Louis and Rapp, Michael Armin and Kostev, Karel},
  title     = {Long-term use of benzodiazepines in older patients in Germany},
  series = {Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology},
  number    = {6/7},
  publisher = {Sage Publ.},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {2045-1253},
  doi       = {10.1177/2045125317696454},
  pages     = {191 -- 200},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of long-term benzodiazepine use in older adults treated in general and neuropsychiatric practices in Germany. Methods: This study included 32,182 patients over the age of 65 years who received benzodiazepine prescriptions for the first time between January 2010 and December 2014 in general and neuropsychiatric practices in Germany. Follow up lasted until July 2016. The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients treated with benzodiazepines for >6 months. Results: The proportion of patients with benzodiazepine therapy for >6 months increased with age (65-70 years: 12.3\%; 71-80 years: 15.5\%; 81-90 years: 23.7\%; >90 years: 31.6\%) but did not differ significantly between men (15.5\%) and women (17.1\%). The proportion of patients who received benzodiazepines for >6 months was higher among those with sleep disorders (21.1\%), depression (20.8\%) and dementia (32.1\%) than among those with anxiety (15.5\%). By contrast, this proportion was lower among people diagnosed with adjustment disorders (7.7\%) and back pain (3.8\%). Conclusion: Overall, long-term use of benzodiazepines is common in older people, particularly in patients over the age of 80 and in those diagnosed with dementia, sleep disorders, or depression.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MellJacobFuhretal.2017,
  author    = {Mell, Thomas and Jacob, Louis and Fuhr, Ida and Dick, Sandra and Rapp, Michael Armin and Kostev, Karel},
  title     = {Patterns of benzodiazepine prescribing by neuropsychiatrists and general practitioners for elderly patients in Germany in 2014},
  series = {International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics},
  volume    = {55},
  journal   = {International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics},
  publisher = {Dustri-Verlag Dr. Karl Feistle},
  address   = {Deisenhofen-M{\"u}nchen},
  issn      = {0946-1965},
  doi       = {10.5414/CP202904},
  pages     = {466 -- 471},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Background: The patterns of benzodiazepine prescriptions in older adults are of general and scientific interest as they are not yet well understood. The aim of this study was to compare the prescription patterns of benzodiazepines in elderly people in Germany to determine the share or proportion treated by general practitioners (GP) and neuropsychiatrists (NP). Methods: This study included 31,268 and 6,603 patients between the ages of 65 and 100 with at least one benzodiazepine prescription in 2014 from GP and NP, respectively. Demographic data included age, gender, and type of health insurance coverage. The share of elderly people with benzodiazepine prescriptions was estimated in different age and disease groups for both GP and NP patients. The share of the six most commonly prescribed drugs was also calculated for each type of practice. Results: The share of people taking benzodiazepines prescribed by GP increased from 3.2\% in patients aged between 65 and 69 years to 8.6\% in patients aged between 90 and 100 years, whereas this share increased from 5.4\% to 7.1\% in those seen by NP. Benzodiazepines were frequently used by patients suffering from sleep disorders (GP: 33.9\%; NP: 5.5\%), depression (GP: 17.9\%; NP: 29.8\%), and anxiety disorders (GP: 14.5\%; NP: 22.8\%). Lorazepam (30.3\%), oxazepam (24.7\%), and bromazepam (24.3\%) were the three most commonly prescribed drugs for GP patients. In contrast, lorazepam (60.4\%), diazepam (14.8\%), and oxazepam (11.2\%) were those more frequently prescribed to NP patients. Conclusion: Prescription patterns of benzodiazepine in the elderly varied widely between GP and NP.},
  language  = {en}
}