Aspirin and Popular Drugs: New Study Links Increased Dementia Risk – What You Need to Know
A recent study from Karolinska Institutet highlights the link between long-term use of cardiovascular drugs and a reduced risk of dementia. Published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the research involved about 88,000 dementia patients aged 70 and older from Swedish national registers, compared with 880,000 controls.
The study found that using antihypertensives, cholesterol-lowering drugs, diuretics, and blood thinners for five years or more lowered the risk of dementia by 4% to 25%. The protective effects strengthened when these drugs were used in combinations.
Conversely, the study noted that antiplatelet drugs, like aspirin and clopidogrel, may increase the risk of dementia. These drugs can lead to brain microbleeds, which are linked to cognitive decline.
The researchers emphasize the need for further studies, particularly randomized controlled trials, to explore these findings. They aim to investigate how diet and lifestyle, along with drug treatments, influence dementia risk.
This study is essential as dementia currently has no cure, making preventive measures crucial.
For more details, refer to the study: “Use of common cardiovascular disease drugs and risk of dementia: A case-control study in Swedish national register data,” by Mozhu Ding et al. (2024).