In a recent study published in The International Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that drugs routinely prescribed for allergies, heart disease and Parkinson’s are linked to a higher risk of stroke.
They found that patients treated with drugs with anticholinergic’ side effects have a 60% increased risk of stroke.
The study is from the University of Aberdeen. One author is Dr. David Gamble.
Many common medications are known to have so-called anticholinergic properties.
This can lead to disruption in communication between parts of the nervous system and can manifest symptomatically as blurred vision, confusion, and memory loss.
The effect of anticholinergic drugs on stroke, however, has never been identified.
In the study, the team calculated the risk of stroke in 22,000 people who were prescribed medicines with anticholinergic properties.
The study population was drawn from men and women aged between 39 – 79 years, who took part in the EPIC-Norfolk prospective population-based study.
In that study, 25,639 participants were invited from general practice age-sex registers to complete a baseline health examination from 1993 to 1997.
The researchers found that those taking medicines with a high level of anticholinergic side effects had a 59% higher risk of developing stroke and a 86% higher risk of dying from stroke.
The team suggests that a number of plausible mechanisms exist within the literature to explain their findings.
Medicines with anticholinergic effects have been shown to affect inflammation.
This is important in the period immediately after a stroke, producing rapid and irregular heart rhythms and interfere with the body’s ability to regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
It is possible that diminishing these protective effects with anticholinergic drugs can make people more vulnerable to stroke.
The researchers suggest that it is possible to identify a new modifiable risk factor that would have a significant impact on the global burden of stroke.
In addition, their findings are particularly relevant to clinicians and healthcare providers involved in prescribing and managing patient’s medications.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about this inexpensive drug combo may prevent stroke, heart attack, heart failure and findings of people need to stop using aspirin to prevent first heart attack, stroke.
For more information about stroke prevention and treatment, please see recent studies about this type of work linked to high risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes and results showing that this common brain disease can cause dementia and stroke.
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