Researchers suggest that long-term use of anxiety medication and sleeping pills may increase the risk of dementia.

Dementia is a general term for a decrease in mental ability that is severe enough it disrupts one's daily life.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, BMJ, involved observing 2,000 Canadian elderly that had a 51 percent higher risk for dementia from using benzodiazepine, a psychoactive drug used to treat insomnia and anxiety, for three months of more.

Like Us on Facebook

All the participants were aged 66 years or older living in Quebec. All of them were afflicted with Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's is an incurable, degenerative disease that afflicts the brain. Mental exercises and a balanced diet can delay its progress.

The patients were compared to 7,000 healthy people of the same age range living in the same area.

According to the National Health Service (NHS), benzodiazepine and drugs related to it should only be used for 12 weeks at the most.

Lead researcher, Sophie Billioti de Gage of the University of Bordeaux in France and her colleagues said there seems to be a link between the drug and Alzheimer's, but the underlying reason for this relation is not yet known.

"Unwarranted long-term use of these drugs should be considered as a public health concern," she noted.

Dr Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, stated that although a potential link was found, the study had its limits.

"One limitation of this study is that benzodiazepines treat symptoms such as anxiety and sleep disturbance, which may also be early indicators of Alzheimer's disease," he said.

Prof Guy Goodwin, president of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, said the findings could indicate the drugs may lead to the condition, although it is unlikely. It's more likely the drugs are just given to people who are already sick.

Researchers and other medical experts are asking for better monitoring of the drug's side effects, especially in older people.