Some blood pressure drugs may cut risk of dementia

Medicines commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.

Researchers from Boston found that older people taking a certain type of blood pressure medication known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were significantly less likely to develop the brain-wasting illnesses.

Dementia affects some 35 million people around the world and the number of cases -- and their impact on health policy and the economic and social costs of healthcare -- is set to grow dramatically as populations age.

Despite decades of research, doctors still have few effective weapons against dementia and experts commenting on the latest study said it could have major implications.

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Antipsychotic Use in Elders With Alzheimer's Leads to Large Increase in Mortality

There is a large increased long-term risk of mortality in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who are prescribed antipsychotic medication, according to the long-term follow-up results of the Dementia Antipsychotic Withdrawal Trial (DART-AD) published early online and in the February edition of The Lancet Neurology.

While there is evidence of modest short term benefits of antipsychotic treatment for the neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, there is also clear evidence of an increase in adverse effects. However, all the data regarding mortality so far relate to short term follow-up of 12 weeks or less.

Clive Ballard, MD, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, and colleagues have provided the first long-term follow-up data for AD patients given antipsychotic drugs.

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