Drugs commonly used to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate may also reduce the risk of a certain type of dementia, a study suggests.
Researchers have discovered a link between common prostate medications and a reduced risk of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
DLB is responsible for around one in 10 cases of dementia in Britain – the equivalent of around 100,000 people – and is caused by clumps of protein in brain cells.
It is the form of the condition that comedian Robin Williams suffered from before his suicide in 2014.
Now experts believe these ‘promising’ drugs could help slow its progression – or even prevent the disease altogether.
A team from the University of Iowa analyzed data from 643,000 men who recently started taking one of six medications to treat an enlarged prostate.
Dementia with Lewy bodies is the form of the condition that comedian Robin Williams suffered from before his suicide in 2014. Here he is pictured at the 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards in 2009.
Three of the drugs – terazosin (Tz), doxazosin (Dz) and alfuzosin (Az) – are already known to stimulate energy production in brain cells.
Previous studies suggest that this ability may help slow or prevent neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.
The other three drugs – tamsulosin and two 5-alpha reductase inhibitors – do not increase energy production in the brain.
Participants were followed for about three years and the team found that those taking the Tz, Dz or Az drugs were less likely to develop dementia with Lewy bodies.
Lead author Jacob Simmering said: ‘Diseases like dementia with Lewy bodies, or Parkinson’s disease, or Alzheimer’s disease, are debilitating and we don’t really have good treatments that can influence the progression of the disease.
‘We can treat symptoms, but we cannot actually slow the disease.
‘We found that men taking Tz/Dz/Az drugs were less likely to develop a diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.
“Overall, men taking (these) medications had approximately a 40 percent lower risk of developing a DLB diagnosis compared with men taking tamsulosin and approximately a 37 percent lower risk compared with men taking 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.”
The team said they are excited about the potential of these drugs, which are already approved, inexpensive and have been used safely for decades.
‘If terazosin and similar drugs can help slow this progression – or even prevent the disease altogether – this would be important for preserving cognitive function and quality of life in people with dementia with Lewy bodies,’ Dr Simmering added to.
Dementia with Lewy bodies is the third most common disease causing dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Symptoms may include visual hallucinations, sleep problems, problems with thinking speed and language, and slow movements.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Julia Dudley, head of research strategy at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said it was “encouraging to see large studies investigating whether medicines already approved for other medical conditions could have a protective effect on the diseases affected by cause dementia’.
But they can also be a sign of dementia – the memory-robbing disorder that affects almost 1 million Britons and 7 million Americans
She added: ‘As these drugs have already been shown to be safe for use in humans, this could potentially speed up the testing process in clinical trials.
‘However, it is important to note that this study only looked at whether people developed DLB or not, and future studies would be needed to confirm a causal link between the drug and disease progression.
‘The study also included only male participants, despite women taking the same medications to treat urinary symptoms, highlighting the need for future research to include wider groups of people.’
The findings have been published in the journal Neurology.