Anticholinergics, drugs used to fight depression, incontinence or Parkinson’s disease could cause dementia, even when taken 20 years before diagnosis. This is the result of a new study, carried out by an international team of researchers.
Incontinence, depression or even Parkinson’s disease… anticholinergics are drugs prescribed to fight against these health problems. An international team of researchers (from the United States, Ireland and the United Kingdom) conducted the largest study on the long-term impact of these treatments. According to the results, published in the journal BMJ, anticholinergics are linked to increased risk of dementia.
Exposure to anticholinergics is risky
Researchers analyzed more than 27 million prescriptions from patients over 65 with dementia (40,770) and non-dementia (283,933). They found a higher incidence of dementia in people who were prescribed anticholinergics. In addition, the more the patients had been exposed to these treatments, the more important their symptoms were.
Dementia causes memory loss, difficulty in orienting yourself, and deterioration in social behavior. On the other hand, according to a very recent American study, it tends to appear later and later and last for shorter periods.
Damage long before dementia
Another finding is that the side effects of anticholinergics can appear long before a doctor diagnoses a patient with dementia. “Anticholinergics, drugs that block acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the nervous system, have already been identified as a potential cause of cognitive impairment,” explains Noll Campbell, one of the study’s authors. He continues, “This study is large enough to assess the long-term effects of these treatments and find that the damage can be felt years before a diagnosis of dementia is made.”
The researchers therefore recommend that doctors properly assess the risks of anticholinergics on the brain before prescribing them. And also to study other treatment options. It is also possible to act on the lifestyle of patients. Because according to researchers, at least one in three cases could be avoided by quitting smoking, while doing sport or by compensating for hearing problems.
Millions of people affected
Analyzing the risks of these drugs is essential because they are widely prescribed, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is also due to the fact that they treat several diseases. “This study is very important because it is estimated that 350 million people suffer from depression in the world (…)”, says George Savva, lead author of the research. We must add people who suffer from incontinence, Parkinson’s disease, but also asthma or epilepsy. According to’World Health Organization (WHO), 10 million cases of dementia are diagnosed each year. Today, 50 million people are believed to be affected worldwide.
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