How daily pain medications protect your brain from dementia

Looking for dementia solutions in the world competition, the answers may be hidden in medicine cabinets across the country. A large-scale Dutch study spanning nearly three decades found that long-term use of common painkillers can significantly reduce the risk of dementia, but can only be reduced if it is continuously taken for more than two years.

The study, published on March 4 in the Journal of the American Society of Geriatric Medicine, initially tracked more than 11,700 adults without dementia, with an average of 14.5 years, providing by far the most comprehensive look of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS (NSAIDS), such as ibuprofen and sibuprofen and naproxen, protecting aging heads.

Compared to shorter clinical trials that showed no benefit, this long-term observational study found that people who had NSAIDs for more than 24 months had a 12% lower risk of dementia compared to those who had never used these drugs.

“These findings provide important insights into the relationship between inflammation and dementia risk and suggest that long-term rather than intensive exposure to anti-inflammatory drugs may have the potential to prevent dementia,” the researchers wrote in the paper.

These findings reach a critical moment. As dementia climbs around the world and there is no effective preventive treatment, even modest protective factors can have huge public health implications. Currently, more than 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and by 2050, that number will be nearly triple.

What is particularly valuable about this study is its unprecedented scope. Using pharmacy distribution records dating back to 1991, researchers from Erasmus Medical Center accurately tracked the time and dose of NSAIDs in participants. During the follow-up period, 2,091 participants suffered from dementia, allowing researchers to identify patterns that shorter studies might miss.

Interestingly, the study found that the benefits have no connection with how many medications people take, but how long they take. There is no difference in the risk of dementia in cumulative doses, which suggests consistent, long-term inhibition (rather than intensive short-term use) of inflammation is what protects the brain.

“Long-term use of NSAID, but no cumulative dose, is associated with a reduced risk of dementia,” the researchers noted.

The association, especially Alzheimer’s disease, is more powerful, with a 21% lower risk for long-term NSAID users compared to non-users.

Lead author of the study Ilse Vom Hofe and senior researcher M. Arfan Ikram explored multiple angles to understand this relationship. Previous laboratory studies have shown that some NSAIDs may help reduce the formation of amyloid beta plaques (a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease) in the brain of mice. But when the team analyzed different types of NSAIDs, they found something surprising.

NSAIDs that have no known effect on amyloid β actually show stronger protective effects than NSAIDs that have known to reduce amyloid. This suggests that the potential benefits of NSAIDS extend beyond targeting amyloid targeting and may involve its essential anti-inflammatory properties.

It is well known that Rotterdam studies tracked the main white population in the Netherlands, which may limit the widespread use of these findings to a wider range of populations. Furthermore, researchers were unable to track the use of over-the-counter NSAIDs, meaning that some participants classified as non-users may have taken these drugs without a prescription.

Despite these limitations, the study provides compelling evidence that inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of dementia and that targeting it may be a viable preventive strategy.

Although the results are promising, experts keep in mind that NSAID can have significant side effects, especially during long-term use. These drugs can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney damage and cardiovascular problems, especially in the elderly. In fact, according to the Beers standard, NSAID is currently listed as a “potentially inappropriate drug” for older people, a set of widely used medical medication safety guidelines for older adults.

“While our results suggest an important role for inflammation in the treatment of dementia, they do not demonstrate recommendations for long-term treatment with NSAID to prevent dementia due to their potential adverse effects,” the researchers warned.

The study also reveals interesting genetic angles. The protective effect of long-term use of NSAID use is only observed in people without the APOE-ε4 gene variant, which is the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. For those carrying this variant, NSAID does not appear to have any protection, suggesting that different prevention strategies may be needed for different genetic characteristics.

These findings add to increasing evidence linking inflammation to dementia. Previous research has shown that the inflammatory process plays a central role in various pathology of dementia, including vascular and brain damage and the accumulation of toxic proteins. In fact, about 20% of Alzheimer’s disease is currently in some way in developmental target inflammation.

As the global population ages, the competition for finding effective strategies to prevent dementia is becoming increasingly urgent. Although this study does not provide a simple answer, it does suggest that controlling chronic inflammation can be an important part of the puzzle.

“Our results require further investigation of the potential of anti-inflammatory drugs in preventing dementia,” the researchers concluded.

Currently, experts stress that people should not only start taking NSAID to prevent dementia. However, the study opens promising avenues to develop safer anti-inflammatory treatments designed specifically for long-term brain health, which may have addressed one of the most pressing health challenges of the time.