MEN WHO ARE PRESCRIBED DRUGS SUCH for newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction (ED) have a nearly one-fifth lower chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease over five years. Can ED drugs drop dementia risk?
Here’s my bottom line: The findings are intriguing, but we need caution in interpreting the results.
There is no proof that drugs such as Cialis or Viagra can treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Today, I’ll explore the findings published online in Neurology last week.
New study
The recent study looked at health records from the United Kingdom and involved 269,725 men with an average age of 59 who were newly diagnosed with erectile dysfunction.
Among them, over half (55 percent) were prescribed drugs like Viagra or Cialis.
Details
At the start of the study, participants had no memory or thinking problems. The scientists followed the subjects for about 5.1 years.
The researchers considered various factors that could affect Alzheimer’s risk, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, weight, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and other medications the participants were taking.
Results – ED Drugs and Dementia
Among those who took drugs like Viagra or Cialis, 749 people were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This number translates to 8.1 cases per 10,000 person-years.
In comparison, among those who did not take these drugs, 370 people developed AD, yielding a rate of 9.7 cases per 10,000 person-years.
The use of a so-called PDE5I drug appeared to be associated with a nearly one-fifth (18 percent) lower Alzheimer’s disease risk than those not taking such drugs.
This connection appeared more pronounced in those 70 or older and those with a history of diabetes or high blood pressure.
Those taking the most prescriptions had the lowest Alzheimer’s disease risk.
Caution – ED Drugs and Dementia
Please take these interesting findings with a grin of salt.
Firstly, the researchers considered many factors that could influence the results, but there are some things they didn’t measure, like physical and sexual activity.
These activities weren’t monitored, and they might have influenced the outcomes. So, there could be other factors that the researchers did not consider fully.
Study issues – ED Drugs and Dementia
Second, researchers did not confirm Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnoses using the usual top-tier testing methods, which typically involve advanced imaging tests and examinations after a person has passed away.
The study is hypothesis-generating. We need higher-level evidence, such as from a randomized clinical trial.
Still, if repurposing a drug proves helpful, we already know its potential side effects.
I’ll end with this: Observational studies do not prove causality. Can erectile dysfunction meds drop dementia risk? I don’t know.
Thank you for reading “ED Drugs and Dementia.”
