Researchers are constantly looking for ways to improve the wellness of those suffering from dementia. A new piece of research has come to light that shows that drugs that are commonly used to treat high blood pressure could help improve the wellbeing of dementia patients all over the world by slowing the rate of cognitive decline.
These drugs are known as ACE Inhibitors and as well as being used to treat high blood pressure, they are occasionally used in the treatment of some forms of diabetes or in patients who have kidney disease. During the research, the scientists looked at 361 patients who had an average age of 77 and all of whom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or vascular dementia (or even both).
Of these patients, 85 were taking ACE Inhibitors but the rest of the group were not. The study was published online in the journal BMJ Open, and at the start of the research each patient’s decline in cognitive function was assessed to see what their needs were.
As a result of this, the researchers observed that those who were not taking the ACE Inhibitors had a much faster rate of cognitive decline than those who were taking the drugs. This showed that those on the ACE Inhibitors had a much slower rate of cognitive decline, and this could prove to be significant for the future of dementia treatment.
In addition to the people already on the ACE Inhibitors exhibiting slower cognitive decline, those who were prescribed ACE Inhibitors for the first time showed an actual improvement in their scores for the first six months of being on the new drugs. Not only could these drugs slow down the rate of cognitive decline in dementia patients, they could actually help to improve brainpower for those suffering from any kind of brain deterioration.
