Common cardiovascular medications may reduce the risk of dementia in older adults, a recent study reveals.
A recent study conducted by the Karolinska Institutet, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, indicates that commonly used cardiovascular medications are associated with a decreased risk of dementia among the elderly.
Cardiovascular diseases and dementia present significant public health challenges that impose a considerable strain on healthcare systems and society as a whole. This new study from Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that prolonged use of widely prescribed cardiovascular medications is linked to a lower risk of developing dementia later in life.
“Our findings indicate a strong connection between using these drugs for five years or more and a decreased risk of dementia in older individuals,” says Mozhu Ding, assistant professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and a primary author of the study.
The researchers analyzed data from Swedish national registers, including approximately 88,000 individuals aged 70 and above diagnosed with dementia between 2011 and 2016, alongside 880,000 control subjects. They sourced information on cardiovascular medications from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.
The findings reveal that long-term use of antihypertensives, cholesterol-lowering medications, diuretics, and blood thinners correlates with a 4 to 25 percent reduced risk of dementia. Utilizing combinations of these drugs offered more significant protective effects than using them individually.
“While earlier studies have examined specific medications and targeted patient groups, our research adopts a more comprehensive approach,” states Alexandra Wennberg, an affiliated researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine and another lead author of the study.
The study also uncovered a potential association between antiplatelet medications and an increased risk of dementia. These drugs, typically used to prevent strokes and inhibit platelet aggregation, may raise the likelihood of microbleeds in the brain, which can lead to cognitive decline.
This research contributes essential insights into the search for new dementia treatments, the researchers assert.
The researchers emphasize the need for additional studies, particularly randomized controlled clinical trials, to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of their findings. They will also investigate the influence of diet and lifestyle, alongside cardiovascular drug treatments, on the risk of dementia.
This research was conducted by Karolinska Institutet and Lund University, with funding provided by Karolinska Institutet. Alexandra Wennberg has received funding from Janssen Pharmaceutica NV for an unrelated project. The study did not disclose any other potential conflicts of interest.
