A new study from the University of California, San Diego has found that a common class of drugs may increase the risk of cognitive decline, especially in people who are at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
These drugs, called anticholinergic drugs, are used to treat many conditions, including high blood pressure, allergies, colds, depression, overactive bladder, motion sickness, and Parkinson’s disease. There are around 100 different anticholinergic drugs, some available by prescription and others sold over the counter.
The study involved 688 older adults with an average age of 74. None of them had memory or thinking problems when the study began. Researchers tracked their medication use and tested their cognitive abilities yearly for up to 10 years.
At the start of the study, one-third of the participants were taking at least one anticholinergic drug. The most commonly used drugs included metoprolol, atenolol, loratadine, and bupropion. On average, those taking these medications were using 4.7 different anticholinergic drugs per person.
The results showed that people who took at least one anticholinergic drug were 47% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over the next 10 years compared to those who didn’t take these drugs. Mild cognitive impairment is an early stage of memory loss and can be a warning sign for dementia.
The risk was even higher for people who had biological or genetic markers linked to Alzheimer’s disease:
- People with Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers in their cerebrospinal fluid who took anticholinergic drugs were four times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who did not take the drugs and did not have the biomarkers.
- People with genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s who took anticholinergic drugs were 2.5 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those without genetic risk factors who did not take these drugs.
These findings suggest that reducing the use of anticholinergic drugs, especially in older adults and those at risk for Alzheimer’s, may help protect brain health. Doctors and patients may want to consider alternatives to these medications to lower the risk of memory problems later in life.
The study, led by Lisa Delano-Wood and her team, was published in Neurology.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about low choline intake linked to higher dementia risk, and how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
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