Taking medications to lower blood pressure, particularly those known as diuretics, may be associated with a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the May 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to background information in the article. Researchers have therefore begun to examine whether antihypertensive agents, medications prescribed to treat high blood pressure, could reduce the risk of AD. These drugs include diuretics, which cause the kidneys to excrete water and salt, and beta blockers, which results in slowing the heart rate, reducing the heart's pumping action and widening blood vessels.
Ara S. Khachaturian, Ph.D., of Khachaturian and Associates, Inc., Potomac, Md., and colleagues examined the association between antihypertensive medications and the incidence of AD in 3,297 elderly residents of Cache County, Utah. Between 1995 and 1997, participants age 65 years and older were given an initial interview and assessment that included screening for dementia and a detailed inventory of all prescription and over-the-counter medications. Residents who had AD at the first interview were not included in the study. Follow-up assessments were done three years later, beginning in 1998.