Dementia 'linked' to common over-the-counter drugs

A study has linked commonly used medicines, including over-the-counter treatments for conditions such as insomnia and hay-fever, to dementia.

All of the types of medication in question are drugs that have an "anticholinergic" effect.

Experts say people should not panic or stop taking their medicines.

In the US study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, higher doses and prolonged use were linked to higher dementia risk in elderly people.

The researchers only looked at older people and found the increased risk appeared when people took drugs every day for three years or more.
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Can crosswords and exercise ward off dementia?

Challenging the brain with crosswords, working out and eating healthily may help the middle-aged stave off dementia in later life, new research suggests.

The study claims making such lifestyle changes earlier in life could prevent over 80,000 cases of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia each year.

Evidence suggests the brain may begin deteriorating when people are in their late 40s, making it even more important to take action early.


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Dementia is third most common cause of death in UK, research finds

Alzheimer’s Research UK says increased life expectancy means age-related disease is becoming ‘our greatest medical challenge’.

Deaths from dementia have risen by 52% since 1990 and the disease is now the third most common cause of death in the UK, a study shows.

In 1990 a total of 32,429 deaths from dementia were recorded, but last year the condition accounted for 49,349 deaths, as more Britons live longer than ever before.

The figures led the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK to say that, with age the biggest risk factor for developing dementia and life expectancy set to continue to lengthen worldwide, “dementia is increasingly becoming our greatest medical challenge”.

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Stem cell study leads to potential new dementia treatment

Defective cells grown in dish reveal pathway linked to inherited form of dementia.



Cells used to study “dementia in a dish” have led scientists to a potential new treatment strategy for an inherited form of the brain disease.

Defective stem cells grown in the lab revealed a signalling pathway linked to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which accounts for about half of dementia cases before the age of 60.

Treatment with a drug that suppressed the pathway, known as “Wnt”, restored the ability of neurons affected by the disease to develop normally.
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How to tell if memory problems are really a sign of dementia

Researchers in Sheffield are analysing a new 'conversational' technique to help distinguish between dementia and other causes of memory loss.


Worried that forgetfulness might be an early sign of dementia? New research suggests there is no need to be anxious about an awkward memory lapse - as long as you can recall enough of the embarrassing detail to tell a friend about it.

Researchers at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have found that how people talk about their memory problems is a vital clue to pinpointing their cause. They say a technique called Conversation Analysis (CA), used with patients experiencing memory lapses, can help distinguish between dementia and other problems.

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