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Published on: August 18, 2015
Association of hypnotics with stroke risk: a population-based case-control study
Ching-Chih Lee1, Kuan-Yi Tsai1, Yeh-Ting Hung1
1Department of Otolaryngology (Dr Lee), Department of Pediatrics (Dr Hung), and Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine (Dr Huang), Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan; Community Medicine Research Center and Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan (Dr Lee); Department of Community Psychiatry, Kai-Syuan Psychiatric Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan (Drs Lee, Tsai, and Chou); School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualian, Taiwan (Drs Lee and Hung); and Graduate Institute of Health Care (Dr Chou) and Department of Nursing (Drs Chou and Tsai), Meiho University, Ping-Tong County, Taiwan.
Hypnotic drug use was associated with an increased risk of stroke events. Specific medications like zolpidem and estazolam showed a slight association with higher stroke risk in this population-based study.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Hypnotics are widely prescribed medications for sleep disorders.
- The potential association between hypnotic use and stroke risk remains an area of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between hypnotic drug use and the risk of incident stroke events.
- To identify specific hypnotic medications potentially linked to increased stroke risk.
Main Methods:
- A nationwide population-based case-control study was conducted.
- 2,779 stroke patients and 27,790 matched controls were analyzed.
- Multiple logistic regression and sensitivity analyses were employed to assess the impact of hypnotics.
Main Results:
- Individuals prescribed any hypnotic medication exhibited an elevated risk of stroke.
- Prescription of 1-27, 28-148, and ≥149 hypnotic pills correlated with odds ratios of 1.71, 1.84, and 1.45, respectively.
- Zolpidem and estazolam were individually associated with increased stroke risk, with robust findings across sensitivity analyses.
Conclusions:
- Hypnotic use, particularly zolpidem and estazolam, is associated with a slightly increased risk of stroke.
- Specialist consultation is recommended for hypnotic prescription and continuous monitoring of adverse effects.
- Further large-scale studies are warranted to confirm these findings and elucidate underlying mechanisms.
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