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Common drugs like ibuprofen and antibiotics may reduce the risk of dementia, study suggests

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Common medications such as ibuprofen and antibiotics may reduce dementia risk, study suggests (file image)

Common medications such as ibuprofen and antibiotics may reduce the risk of dementia, a study suggests.

Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Exeter identified several drugs, already licensed and in use, with the potential to be repurposed to treat dementia.

Antibiotics, some vaccines, antivirals and anti-inflammatories were linked to a reduced risk of dementia, the review of data involving more than 130 million people found.

The findings support the theory that some common dementias can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, causing damage to brain cells.

Experts say it is “too early” to conclude whether these drugs can have a protective effect, but that the area of ​​research should be prioritized.

Dr Ben Underwood, from the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge, said: We urgently need new treatments to slow the progression of dementia, if not prevent it.

“If we can find drugs that are already approved for other diseases, then we can put them into trials and, more importantly, we can make them available to patients much, much faster than we could with a completely new drug.”

Common medications such as ibuprofen and antibiotics may reduce dementia risk, study suggests (file image)

Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Exeter identified several drugs, already approved and in use, that could be repurposed to treat dementia (file image)

Researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Exeter identified several drugs, already approved and in use, that could be repurposed to treat dementia (file image)

The fact that they are already available is likely to reduce costs and therefore increase the chances of them being approved for use in the NHS.’

It is estimated that around one million people suffer from dementia, which is the leading cause of death in the UK.

There are currently no licensed treatments to prevent the disease, and the slowing effects of lecanemab and donanemab are considered too small to justify any implementation in the NHS.

Vaccines linked to reduced risk in the study include hepatitis A, combined typhoid and diphtheria, reducing risk by up to a third (32 percent).

Previous work has suggested that the BCG vaccine, which protects against tuberculosis, could also have a protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease.

Antipsychotics, antihypertensives, diabetes medications and some antidepressants were linked to an increased risk, according to findings published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research and Clinical Interventions.

But the authors emphasized that the finding of increased risk may be due to other factors.

For example, someone with early dementia may be prescribed an antidepressant for altered mood, so the link with antidepressants could be caused by the dementia, rather than the other way around.

1737508245 892 Common drugs like ibuprofen and antibiotics may reduce the risk

Dr Ilianna Lourida, from the University of Exeter, said: “Just because a particular medication is associated with an altered risk of dementia, it does not necessarily mean that it causes or even helps dementia.”

“We know that diabetes increases the risk of dementia, for example, so anyone who takes medication to control their glucose levels naturally will also have a higher risk of dementia, but that doesn’t mean the medication increases the risk.

“It is important to remember that all medications have benefits and risks.”

Dr Richard Oakley, of the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “One in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime, making it the biggest health and social problem of our time.”

“If we can repurpose drugs that have already been proven safe and are approved for use in other conditions, this could save millions of pounds and the decades it takes to develop a new dementia drug from scratch and get us closer to beating dementia.”

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