Prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and estimated chronic Zolpidem use in elderly individuals in Brazil, between 2020 and 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i8.49395Keywords:
Alzheimer Disease, Zolpidem, Neuropsychiatry.Abstract
Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a growing challenge in Brazil, characterized by cognitive deficits such as recent memory loss, disorientation, aphasia, and agnosia, and behavioral symptoms such as apathy and anxiety, aggravated by the chronic use of psychotropic drugs such as Zolpidem in the elderly. Objective: To analyze the prevalence of hospitalizations and deaths due to AD and estimate the chronic use of Zolpidem in the elderly (≥ 60 years) between 2020 and 2024. Methodology: Descriptive study with data from the SUS Hospital Information System, using statistical tests to assess the prevalence of hospitalizations and deaths due to AD, associated costs, and estimate the chronic use of Zolpidem. Results: Thousands of hospitalizations for AD were recorded, with a high mortality rate and female predominance, generating significant costs for the SUS. Chronic use of Zolpidem, common in the elderly, was associated with cognitive risks. Conclusion: AD imposes a significant burden on the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), intensified by the use of Zolpidem, requiring cautious management. Future studies should explore regional factors and non-pharmacological alternatives for insomnia, promoting safer care.
References
Amorim, L. N. P., de Paula, R. H. F., Ribeiro, C. D., Vilhena, B. K. R., da Silva Ferreira, M. L., Costa, S. R. S., ... & Mauro, M. N. (2025). Fotografia epidemiológica da doença de Alzheimer no Brasil: uma análise das tendências temporais e espaciais de 2018 a 2023. Scientia Medica, 35(1), e47595. https://doi.org/10.15448/1980-6108.2025.1.47595
Araújo, S. R. M., Cunha, E. R., Marques, I. L., Paixão, S. A., Dias, A. D. F. G., de Sousa, P. M., ... & de Souza, M. T. P. (2023). Doença de Alzheimer no Brasil: uma análise epidemiológica entre 2013 e 2022. Research, Society and Development, 12(2), e29412240345. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v12i2.40345
Beata, B. K., Wojciech, J., Johannes, K., Piotr, L., & Barbara, M. (2023). Alzheimer’s disease—Biochemical and psychological background for diagnosis and treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(2), 1059.
Bertolazi, A. N., Fagondes, S. C., Hoff, L. S., Pedro, V. D., Menna Barreto, S. S., & Johns, M. W. (2013). Portuguese-language version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale: Validation for use in Brazil. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia, 39(2), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1806-37132013000200002
Brasil. (2016). Resolução nº 510, de 7 de abril de 2016. Conselho Nacional de Saúde. Retrieved from http://conselho.saude.gov.br/resolucoes/2016/Reso510.pdf
Carlini, E. L. A., Nappo, S. A., & Galduroz, J. C. F. (2016). Uso de psicofármacos no Brasil: Um estudo com base em inquéritos domiciliares. Ciência e Saúde Coletiva, 21(8), 2437–2446. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232015218.16082015
Cavalieri, M. F., Terçarioli, B. I., da Rosa, J. C. P., Cardoso, R. D. R., & Lage, P. S. (2024). Efeitos do uso crônico do zolpidem para tratamento da insônia em idosos e sua relação com a doença de Alzheimer. Debates em Psiquiatria, 14, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.25118/2763-9037.2024.1420
Cheng, H. T., Lin, F. J., Erickson, S. R., Hong, J. L., & Wu, C. H. (2017). The association between the use of zolpidem and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease among older people. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 65(11), 2488–2495. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15081
Engelhardt, E., Resende, E. D. P. F., & Gomes, K. B. (2024). Physiopathological mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease: A narrative review. Dementia and Neuropsychologia, 18, e2024VR01. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-5764-DN-2024-0001
Falgàs, N., Allen, I. E., Spina, S., Grant, H., Piña Escudero, S. D., Merrilees, J., ... & Walsh, C. M. (2022). The severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms is higher in early‐onset than late‐onset Alzheimer’s disease. European Journal of Neurology, 29(4), 957-967.
Freire, D. S., da Silva, A. S., & Borin, F. Y. Y. (2022). A fisiopatologia da doença de Alzheimer. Revista Terra e Cultura: Cadernos de Ensino e Pesquisa, 38, 237–251.
García-Morales, V., González-Acedo, A., Melguizo-Rodríguez, L., Pardo-Moreno, T., Costela-Ruiz, V. J., Montiel-Troya, M., & Ramos-Rodríguez, J. J. (2021). Current understanding of the physiopathology, diagnosis and therapeutic approach to Alzheimer’s disease. Biomedicines, 9(12), 1910. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9121910
Gordis, L. (2014). Epidemiology (5th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders.
Huang, L. K., Kuan, Y. C., Lin, H. W., & Hu, C. J. (2023). Clinical trials of new drugs for Alzheimer disease: A 2020–2023 update. Journal of Biomedical Science, 30(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12929-023-00962-4
Husain, M. A., Laurent, B., & Plourde, M. (2021). APOE and Alzheimer’s disease: From lipid transport to physiopathology and therapeutics. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15, 630502. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.630502
Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. (2024). Projeção da população do Brasil e das Unidades da Federação. Retrieved from https://www.ibge.gov.br/estatisticas/sociais/populacao/9109-projecao-da-populacao.html
Javaid, S. F., Giebel, C., Khan, M. A., & Hashim, M. J. (2021). Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias: Rising global burden and forecasted trends. F1000Research, 10, 425. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.50786.1
Lanctot, K. L., Hahn-Pedersen, J. H., Eichinger, C. S., Freeman, C., Clark, A., Tarazona, L. R. S., & Cummings, J. (2024). Burden of illness in people with Alzheimer’s disease: A systematic review of epidemiology, comorbidities and mortality. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, 11(1), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2023.92
Louzada, L. L., Machado, F. V., Quintas, J. L., Ribeiro, G. A., Silva, M. V., Mendonca-Silva, D. L., ... & Camargos, E. F. (2022). The efficacy and safety of zolpidem and zopiclone to treat insomnia in Alzheimer’s disease: A randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47(2), 570–579. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01191-7
Matos, D. F., da Paz, W. S., de Sousa Santos, A. B. A., Silva, M. A., de Oliveira, S. F., Leite, C. C. B., ... & de Almeida, D. H. (2021). Caracterização epidemiológica da mortalidade por Alzheimer no Brasil entre 2010 a 2019. Research, Society and Development, 10(11), e74101119316. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i11.19316
Monfared, A. A., Byrnes, M. J., White, L. A., &Zhang, Q. (2022). Alzheimer’s disease: Epidemiology and clinical progression. Neurology and Therapy, 11(2), 553–569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-022-00338-8
Nozoe, K. T., Polesel, D. N., Moreira, G. A., Tufik, S., & Andersen, M. L. (2017). Sleep deprivation and its association with benzodiazepine use in the elderly. Sleep Medicine, 40, e238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2017.11.696
Piovesan, E. C., Freitas, B. Z. D., Lemanski, F. C. B., & Carazzo, C. A. (2023). Doença de Alzheimer: análise epidemiológica frente ao número de internações e óbitos no Brasil. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria, 81, 577–584. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-1777163
Rothman, K. J., Greenland, S., & Lash, T. L. (2012). Modern epidemiology (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Shih, H. I., Lin, C. C., Tu, Y. F., Chang, C. M., Hsu, H. C., & Chi, C. H. (2015). An increased risk of reversible dementia may occur after zolpidem derivative use in the elderly population. Medicine (Baltimore), 94(17), e809. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000000809
Sousa, P. M., Barbosa, I. M., D'Almeida Filho, L. F., Eugênio, G. D. G. P., Braga, A. L. P., Guimarães, C. B., ... & de Aguiar Peixoto, A. L. (2024). Repercussões epidemiológicas da Demência no Brasil: um perfil dos últimos 5 anos. Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences, 6(2), 581–594. https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2024.2.581
Triola, M. M., & Triola, M. F. (2017). Biostatistics for the biological and health sciences (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Wimo, A., Seeher, K., Cataldi, R., Cyhlarova, E., Dielemann, J. L., Frisell, O., ... & Dua, T. (2023). The worldwide costs of dementia in 2019. Alzheimer’s and Dementia, 19(7), 2865–2873. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12901
Zhang, X. X., Tian, Y., Wang, Z. T., Ma, Y. H., Tan, L., & Yu, J. T. (2021). The epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease modifiable risk factors and prevention. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, 8(3), 313–321. https://doi.org/10.14283/jpad.2021.15
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sofia Martins Lima, Gabriel de Carvalho Moreira, Alice Cavalcante de Almeida Lins, Audenis Lima de Aguiar Peixoto, José Cláudio da Silva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
