New research indicates that medication used by hundreds of thousands in the UK could heighten the risk of dementia. Anticholinergics, prescribed to alleviate over-active bladders, work by reducing the activity of certain muscles to prevent bladder contractions.
This helps to curb spasms that can lead to incontinence and frequent urination. The new study reveals that nearly one million Brits on these medications face an increased dementia risk by about a third.
The research compared approximately 170,000 patients in England over the age of 55 with dementia to 800,000 patients without dementia. It concluded that taking an anticholinergic was associated with an 18% increase in dementia diagnosis.
The study also discovered that the higher risk was more prevalent in men, with 22% compared to only 16% in women. Researchers analysed different types of drugs and found that some carry a higher risk.
For instance, those taking oxybutynin hydrochloride had a 31% higher risk of dementia. Experts have suggested the need to consider alternative medications for overactive bladders in older patients, reports the Express.
The research was published in the British Medical Journal, it said that not all anticholinergics are linked to an increased chance of dementia. For example, these include darifenacin, fesoterodine fumarate, flavoxate hydrochloride, propiverine hydrochloride, and trospium chloride.
Limitations of the study included several elements. For example, the exact dosage given to patients was lacking meaning the authors couldn't fully explore if higher doses of some drugs led to an increased risk of dementia over time. Another was the data relied on patient records which may have been unreliable or incomplete.
Other studies have linked some forms of anticholinergic to dementia with experts urging doctors to consider later life impacts.