A new analysis reported patients who took the anti-hypertensive drugs(ARBs), have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than patients who took other anti-hypertensive drugs such as ACE inhibitors.
Furthermore, the rates of disease progression, indicated by the time to admission to a nursing home or death, was also reduced among patients who taking ARBs.
The study, published in the January 12, 2010 version of BMJ, looked at the time it took to develop Alzheimer’s disease or dementia among elderly male who has cardiovascular disease and took antihypertensive drugs in the US Veterans Affairs database over a four-year period.
The analysis found that patients who took ARB has a 55% lower incidence of Alzheimer’s or dementia, and a 70% decrease in nursing-home admissions than ACE inhibitor, lisinopril, and other cardiovascular drugs.
ARB has previously been shown to be effective in preventing vascular damage in Alzheimer’s disease. Current marketed ARBs included losartan, valsartan, irbesartan, telmisartan, olmesartan, eprosartan and candesartan.
