Research ‘strongly suggests’ that patients taking anticoagulants for
irregular heartbeat could be protected against dementia and stroke
Blood-thinning drugs could protect against dementia and stroke in people
with an irregular heartbeat, research suggests.
A study found that patients being treated for atrial fibrillation (AF)
were less likely to develop dementia if they were taking anticoagulants. Their
risk was reduced by up to 48% compared with others with the same condition who
were not prescribed the drugs.
Scientists analysed health record data from more than 444,000 Swedish AF
patients.
While the findings could not prove cause and effect, they “strongly
suggested” blood-thinning pills protect against dementia in patients with the
condition, the team said.
Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke and blood clots, which
some experts think may appear in the brain and help trigger dementia.
Dr Leif Friberg from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, who
co-led the study, said: “As a clinician I know there are AF patients who have a
fatalistic view on stroke. Either it happens or it does not. Few patients are
fatalistic about dementia, which gradually makes you lose your mind.
A new study shows that doctors are actually quite bad at estimating the
benefit and harm associated with treatments they prescribe. It’s a wake-up call
for doctors, but patients can also play a role in getting better treatment
“No brain can withstand a
constant bombardment of microscopic clots in the long run. Patients probably
want to hang on to as many of their little grey cells for as long as they can.
“In order to preserve what you’ve got, you should take care to use
anticoagulants if you are diagnosed with AF, as they have been proved to
protect against stroke and, which this study indicates, also appear to protect
against dementia.”
The researchers identified everyone in Sweden who had been given a
diagnosis of AF between 2006 and 2014. Monitoring each person’s progress
provided 1.5m years of follow-up during which 26,210 patients were diagnosed
with dementia.
Prescribed blood thinners include the drugs warfarin, apixaban,
dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban. Their protective effect was greater the
earlier treatment started after a diagnosis of AF, the scientists found.
Friberg said patients should begin taking the drugs as soon as possible
and continue using them.
He added: “Doctors should not tell their patients to stop using oral
anticoagulants without a really good reason. To patients, I would say don’t
stop unless your doctor says so.”
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found no difference
in dementia prevention between the older blood-thinning drug warfarin and newer
anticoagulants.
Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate
medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Strokes caused by a
clot blocking the blood vessels in the brain are a major cause of dementia, and
atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor as it increases the chances of
these clots forming.“By treating AF patients with blood-thinning drugs, you reduce the risk of both stroke and dementia.”
Dr Carol Routledge, head of science at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “The findings highlight a need to investigate this link further, but the nature of the study prevents us from firmly concluding that anticoagulants reduce the risk of dementia.
“It will be important to see the results of other ongoing studies in this area, as well as teasing apart the exact relationship between anticoagulants and the risk of different types of dementia.”
SOURCE: The Guardian
This was a really interesting read for me because Ive recently been reading about some research that looked at the correlation between worsening mental health and dementia related illness and the incidence of stroke, heart disease and cancers. In particular they were looking for links with a raised level of cortisol in the blood, stress hormones and heart problems.
It would appear that from the study printed above the doctors in this instance are advocating long term use of anti coagulants in patients with AF. They are finding as a result that this also protects against the risk of dementia.
This was a really interesting read for me because Ive recently been reading about some research that looked at the correlation between worsening mental health and dementia related illness and the incidence of stroke, heart disease and cancers. In particular they were looking for links with a raised level of cortisol in the blood, stress hormones and heart problems.
It would appear that from the study printed above the doctors in this instance are advocating long term use of anti coagulants in patients with AF. They are finding as a result that this also protects against the risk of dementia.
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