Opioid and benzodiazepine use was associated with more adverse respiratory events in older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society. Furthermore, although adverse effects are not exacerbated in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, those with high-complexity COPD are at greater risk for adverse events when using both opioids and benzodiazepine. This case-control study included 3232 individuals who were hospitalized in 2014 for COPD or a related diagnosis, as well as 6247 controls matched for age, gender, socioeconomic status, COPD medication and complexity, obstructive sleep apnea, comorbidity, and index date. All participants …
