Trends in Outpatient Visits with Benzodiazepines among US Adults With and Without Bronchitis or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease from 1999 to 2010

Abstract

Little is known about trends in prescriptions for benzodiazepines among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our objective was to examine trends of office/outpatient department visits with a mention of a benzodiazepine made by patients aged ≥40 years with COPD in the United States. We used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1999–2010. From 1999 to 2010, the estimated numbers of office/outpatient department visits with a benzodiazepine mentioned increased from 20.7 million to 43.2 million among all patients, from 684,000 to 1.5 million among patients with COPD, and from 20.0 million to 41.7 million among patients without COPD. Using all 12-years of data, patients with COPD were more likely to have a visit with a mention of a benzodiazepine than patients without COPD (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.27–1.71).The unadjusted percentage of all office/outpatient department visits by patients with COPD with a mention of a benzodiazepine increased from 4.6% during 1999–2002 to 10.2% during 2007–2010 (P trend < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, and race, the adjusted prevalence ratio for 2007–2010 compared with 1999–2002 was 2.26 (95% confidence interval: 1.60–3.17). Since 1999, the number and percentage of office/outpatient department visits with a mention of a benzodiazepine by patients with COPD and all patients may have increased in the United States.

Keywords:

• benzodiazepines
• COPD
• prescriptions
• therapeutics
• trends
• United States