Blood Pressure Drug Slows the Rate of Dementia Deterioration: Study

A latest study published in the journal BMJ Open states that, a class of drug known as ACE inhibitors that is used to reduce blood pressure may also slow the rate of cognitive decline of dementia.

The study also states that these drugs also enhance the brain power.

In the current study, researchers conducted a test in which they compared the rates of cognitive decline in 361 patients whose average age was 77 and were either diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia or had a mix of both.

Out of the total study participants, 85 participants were taking the ACE inhibitors. During the study the researchers examined the impact of ACE inhibitors on the brain power of 30 participants who newly started taking the drugs. This examination was done in the first six months of treatments.

With the help of Standardised Mini Mental State Examination (SMMSE) or the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment (Qmci), the researchers assessed the cognitive decline in the participants between 1999 and 2010. The testing was done on two separate occasions with a gap of six months. They noticed that those participants who were taking the ACE inhibitors had a marginally slower rate of cognitive decline when compared to those who did not take the ACE inhibitors.

They noticed a small and significant difference in those whose brain power had been assessed by Qmci, which is a more sensitive screen than the SMMSE. The brain power of those participants who were newly prescribed the drug had an improvement over the six month period when compared to those already taking the drug.

The researchers predict that this difference occurred as the participants stuck to their medication regimen better or it improved the flow of blood to the brain.  

"This [study] supports the growing body of evidence for the use of ACE inhibitors and other [blood pressure lowering] agents in the management of dementia. Although the differences were small and of uncertain clinical significance, if sustained over years, the compounding effects may well have significant clinical benefits," the authors conclude.