Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.
It is a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss and possibly leading to loss of the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to the environment.
Alzheimer’s disease involves parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language.
In a study from National Institute on Aging, scientists found that certain rheumatoid arthritis drugs may lower the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in people with heart disease.
The findings do not support the broad use of these drugs for treating Alzheimer’s and related dementias, but the results may point to a promising precision-medicine approach in specific groups of people at risk for developing these diseases.
Discovering new drug targets in Alzheimer’s and related dementias is crucial for meeting the enormous public health challenge of these diseases.
Prior studies on whether approved rheumatoid arthritis drugs lower the risk of developing dementia have produced mixed results.
In this study, the researchers analyzed data in Medicare claims from more than 22,000 people.
They focused on whether those with rheumatoid arthritis who took one of three different classes of arthritis drugs were protected from dementia.
There were no strong associations with lowered dementia risk except among those with heart disease who were treated with one class of arthritis drugs called TNF inhibitors.
These inhibitors suppress the immune system by blocking the activity of TNF, which is a substance in the body that can cause inflammation and lead to immune-system diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce dementia risk, and new evidence how Alzheimer’s attacks the brain.
The study was conducted by Rishi J. Desai et al and published in JAMA Network Open.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
