A recent study suggests that some medications, immunotherapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, and treatments are “associated” with a lower chance of dementia, while other treatments are “associated” with a higher risk of dementia.
According to a new press release regarding a study conducted by the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter, “new studies that looked at health files from over 130 million people” found that “antibiotics, immunotherapy, treatments, and anti-inflammatory medications are associated with reduced risk of dementia.
Researchers reviewed data from 14 previous studies, which included data on over 130 million patients and one million dementia cases, according to the press release. The press release stated that researchers “discovered several drug classes that are linked to altered risk” of dementia and published their findings in” Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research &, Clinical Interventions.”
Dr. Ben Underwood from the University of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, in response to the need for dementia care, said,” We urgently need new treatments to slow the progression of dementia, if not prevent it.”
Underwood continued,” If we can find drugs that are already licensed for other conditions, then we can get them , into trials , and — crucially — may be able to make them available to patients much, much more quickly than we could do for an entirely new drug.”
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According to a recent study, certain medications, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and antivirals, as well as some vaccines, can lower a person’s risk of dementia.
In terms of anti-inflammatory medications, the press release stated that “inflammation is increasingly being recognized as a significant contributor to a wide range of diseases, and its role in dementia is supported by the fact that some genes that increase the risk of dementia are part of inflammatory pathways.”
Additionally, the study found that some medications, such as antipsychotic ones, were linked to a rise in a person’s risk of dementia. Additionally, researchers noted that there is” conflicting evidence” regarding an increased or decreased risk of dementia in addition to blood pressure medications, anti-depressants, and diabetes medications.
In response to the recent study, Underwood questioned the future of dementia treatment:” Pooling these massive health data sets provides one source of evidence which we can use to help us focus on which drugs we should try first. We’re optimistic that this will help us discover some much-needed new dementia treatments and speed up the delivery of them to patients.
Dr. Chris Vercammen, a physician at Remo Health who did not take part in the study, claimed that” systematic reviews” like the ones conducted by the University of Cambridge and Exeter help researchers gather data from multiple studies to create a “more comprehensive understanding” of different subjects.
