Scientists have found further evidence that long-term use of common over-the-counter pain medication such as aspirin and ibuprofen may reduce the risk of developing dementia. While it's not the first time anti-inflammatory drugs have been linked to preserving cognitive function, this new research has found there's more to it than popping a pill every few months.
Researchers from the Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam tracked 11,745 adults (59.5% female, mean age 66.2 years) in an ongoing study, which has so far had two follow-ups at an average of 14.5 years later. Using statistical hazard ratios – which measure the likelihood of an adverse event occurring between populations (in this case, patterns of medication use) – they found that those who had long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had a 12% lower risk of dementia.
Meanwhile, short-term (less than one month) and intermediate-term (one to 24 months) use turned up a slight increase in risk compared to the general population. And cumulative dose – for example, taking without consistent use – didn't appear to be beneficial, either.
The scientists hypothesize that long-term use of these anti-inflammatories may clean out the accumulation of plaques that remain a hallmark of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. However, the results excluded people who were carriers of the APOE-ε4 gene, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
“Our study provides evidence on possible preventive effects of anti-inflammatory medication against the dementia process," said corresponding author M. Arfan Ikram from Erasmus. "There is a need for more studies to further consolidate this evidence and possibly develop preventive strategies."
One of the reasons that more studies are needed is because, so far, there are conflicting results from research into how useful NSAIDs are for age-related brain health. And long-term use of these drugs comes with plenty of evidence-backed risks, including gastrointestinal bleeding and cardiovascular issues, and they're generally unsuitable for long-term use. But the results of this study pose the question as to whether chronic inflammation is a more important factor in the onset of dementia than amyloid plaque accumulation. And if so, suggests there's cause to develop safer long-term anti-inflammatory drugs for dementia prevention.
“Although our results are an indication of the important role of inflammation in the treatment of dementia, they do not justify the recommendation of long-term treatment with NSAIDs for the prevention of dementia, given its potential adverse effects,” the researchers added.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Source: Erasmus University Medical Center via Scimex