Studies about the risk of Dementia

In a large UK study it was concluded that dementia may be linked to some antidepressants after long-term use, the researchers said on 26th April 2018 this Thursday. Although they were unable to conclude that the cause was medications.

The largest and most comprehensive study on the long-term effects of anticholinergic medicines, a class of medicines commonly prescribed in the United States and the United Kingdom as antidepressants and medicines for the study of incontinence, found that their use is associated with an increased risk of dementia, even though it was 20 years before the diagnosis of a cognitive impairment lasts.

The researchers found a higher incidence of dementia in patients who were prescribed anticholinergic antidepressants, anticholinergics for medicines and anticholinergic bladder for Parkinson’s disease in the elderly who are prescribed these medications.

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Dementia increases with increased exposure to anticholinergics.

“Anticholinergics and the Risk of Dementia: Case Control Study,” published in the BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal), an international medical journal.

“This study is large enough to evaluate the long-term effect and find that the damage can be experienced years before the diagnosis of dementia.”

Dr. Campbell is also an Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Practice at Purdue University College of Pharmacy.

“These results clearly demonstrate that physicians should carefully consider the patient’s anticholinergic burden on patients and weigh up other options,”

said co-author Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH, Regenstrief Institute study and researchers IU Center for Research on Aging.

“This research is very important because an estimated 350 million people are affected by depression. It is estimated that the conditions of the bladder treatment requires more than 13 percent of men and 30 percent of women said the United Kingdom and the United States”,

The co-author of the study Ian Maidment, Ph.D., Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Aston in the United Kingdom, said: “As many medicines have anticholinergic activity, key employees should be prescribing clinical, patients and. Nurses need to work together to reduce the damage potential of anticholinergics. “

Source: TheBMJ