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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Drugs & Aging

Benzodiazepine Prescription and Use in the Older Adults in Catalonia, Spain from 2018 to 2022: A Drug Utilization Study

  • Miliça Paut Kusturica1
  • M. Teresa Peñarrubia-María2,3,4,5,6
  • Lucy Anne Parker4,7
  • Sara Mucherino8,9,10
  • Enrica Menditto8,9,10
  • Valentina Orlando8,9,10
  • Ignacio Aznar Lou4,5,11
11 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
  2. 2Centro de Atención Primaria Bartomeu Fabrés Anglada, Gerencia Territorial Metropolitana Sud, Institut Català de la Salut, c/Riera de les Parets, 7, 08850 Gavà, Barcelona Spain
  3. 3Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca a l’Atenció Primaria de Salut Jordi Gol I Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Gran Via Corts Catalanes, 587, ático, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
  4. 4Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), avda Monforte de Lemos, 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029 Madrid, Spain
  5. 5Grupo de Investigación en Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias en Atención Primaria y Salud Mental (PRISMA), Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Santa Rosa 39-57, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
  6. 6Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  7. 7Departamento de Salud Pública, Historia de la Ciencia y Ginecología, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Crta. Nacional, N-332, s/n, 03550 Sant Joan d’Alacant, Spain
  8. 8CIRFF-Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca in Farmacoeconomia e Farmacoutilizzazione, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
  9. 9Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
  10. 10HealthCare Datalab, Regione Campania, 80143 Naples, Italy
  11. 11Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge, IDIBELL, Av. Gran Via de l’Hospitalet, 199-203-1a planta, 08908 L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona Spain
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Abstract

Background and Objective: Benzodiazepines (BZDs) remain among the most frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs in older adults, despite well-documented risks and guideline recommendations for short-term use. This study analyzed BZD prescribing trends among individuals aged ≥ 65 years in Catalonia, Spain, between 2018 and 2022.

Methods: A retrospective drug utilization study was conducted using anonymized electronic health records from the SIDIAP (Information System for Research in Primary Care) database, covering approximately 80% of the Catalan population. All patients aged ≥ 65 years with at least one BZD prescription were included. Data were analyzed by sex, age group, onset of action, and duration of effect. Utilization was expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

Results: The study included 463,446 older adults (68.2% women; mean age 77.1 ± 8.0 years) with 1,731,408 BZD prescriptions. Rapid-onset BZDs accounted for 51.9% and intermediate-onset for 45.2% of prescriptions; slow-onset drugs were 2.95%. Intermediate-acting BZDs predominated by duration (47.6%), followed by short-acting BZDs (31.9%) and long-acting BZDs (20.4%). Women had higher use than men across all age groups (e.g., short-acting < 75 years: 233.6 vs 106.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day). Median treatment duration was longest for intermediate-acting BZDs (219 days, interquartile range 59–365) and intermediate-onset BZDs (221 days, interquartile range 59–365).

Conclusions: Benzodiazepine prescribing among Catalan older adults remains high, dominated by rapid-onset and short-acting to intermediate-acting agents, with widespread long-term use. These findings highlight the need for structured medication reviews, deprescribing programs, and prescriber education to reduce inappropriate BZD exposure in this population.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-026-01340-7.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kusturica2026benzodiazepine,
  title = {{Benzodiazepine Prescription and Use in the Older Adults in Catalonia, Spain from 2018 to 2022: A Drug Utilization Study}},
  author = {Miliça Paut Kusturica and M. Teresa Peñarrubia-María and Lucy Anne Parker and Sara Mucherino and Enrica Menditto and Valentina Orlando and Ignacio Aznar Lou},
  journal = {Drugs \& Aging},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1007/s40266-026-01340-7},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-026-01340-7},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Benzodiazepine Prescription and Use in the Older Adults in Catalonia, Spain from 2018 to 2022: A Drug Utilization Study
AU  - Miliça Paut Kusturica
AU  - M. Teresa Peñarrubia-María
AU  - Lucy Anne Parker
AU  - Sara Mucherino
AU  - Enrica Menditto
AU  - Valentina Orlando
AU  - Ignacio Aznar Lou
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/07
JO  - Drugs & Aging
DO  - 10.1007/s40266-026-01340-7
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-026-01340-7
AB  - Background and Objective: Benzodiazepines (BZDs) remain among the most frequently prescribed psychotropic drugs in older adults, despite well-documented risks and guideline recommendations for short-term use. This study analyzed BZD prescribing trends among individuals aged ≥ 65 years in Catalonia, Spain, between 2018 and 2022.  Methods: A retrospective drug utilization study was conducted using anonymized electronic health records from the SIDIAP (Information System for Research in Primary Care) database, covering approximately 80% of the Catalan population. All patients aged ≥ 65 years with at least one BZD prescription were included. Data were analyzed by sex, age group, onset of action, and duration of effect. Utilization was expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.  Results: The study included 463,446 older adults (68.2% women; mean age 77.1 ± 8.0 years) with 1,731,408 BZD prescriptions. Rapid-onset BZDs accounted for 51.9% and intermediate-onset for 45.2% of prescriptions; slow-onset drugs were 2.95%. Intermediate-acting BZDs predominated by duration (47.6%), followed by short-acting BZDs (31.9%) and long-acting BZDs (20.4%). Women had higher use than men across all age groups (e.g., short-acting < 75 years: 233.6 vs 106.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day). Median treatment duration was longest for intermediate-acting BZDs (219 days, interquartile range 59–365) and intermediate-onset BZDs (221 days, interquartile range 59–365).  Conclusions: Benzodiazepine prescribing among Catalan older adults remains high, dominated by rapid-onset and short-acting to intermediate-acting agents, with widespread long-term use. These findings highlight the need for structured medication reviews, deprescribing programs, and prescriber education to reduce inappropriate BZD exposure in this population.  Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-026-01340-7.
SN  - 1170-229X
SN  - 1179-1969
ER  -