A recent study found that a drug taken by people with type 2 diabetes was linked to a lower risk of developing dementia later in life.
In a new study, people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes who took the drug pioglitazone were less likely to develop dementia than those who did not.
The study is published in Neurology, the American Academy of Neurology medical journal.
The results were strongest among people with a history of stroke or ischemic heart disease, a condition caused by narrowed arteries in the heart.
The study does not prove that the drug reduces the risk of dementia for people with diabetes. It only shows an association. People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing dementia than those without the disease.
“Since dementia develops for years before diagnosis, there may be an opportunity for intervening before it progresses,” said Eosu Kim, MD, PhD, of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, author of the study. “These results may suggest that we could use a personalized approach to preventing dementia in people with diabetes in the case that they have a history of ischemic heart disease or stroke.”
For the study, researchers looked at the national Korean health database for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who did not have dementia. They were followed for an average of 10 years. Of the 91,218 participants, 3,467 received the drug pioglitazone.
During the study, 8.3% of the people taking pioglitazone developed dementia, compared to 10.0% of those not taking the drug.
After researchers accounted for other factors that could affect dementia risks, such as high blood pressure, smoking, and physical activity, they found that people taking pioglitazone were 16% less likely to develop the disease than those who did not take it. The benefit was stronger among people with a history of ischemic heart disease or stroke, with reduced risks of 54% and 43%.
The reduced risk also increased as people used the drug for longer periods. People who took the drug for four years were 37% less likely to develop dementia than those who did not, while those who took it for one to two years were 22% less likely.
During the study, people taking the drug were also less likely to have a stroke.
Kim noted that side effects of pioglitazone include swelling, weight gain, bone loss, and congestive heart failure. More research is needed on the drug’s long-term safety and whether an optimal dose could minimize side effects while maintaining the benefits.
“These results provide valuable information on who could potentially benefit from pioglitazone use for prevention of dementia,” Kim said. “In some previous studies of people with dementia or at risk of cognitive decline who did not have diabetes, pioglitazone did not show any protection against dementia, so it’s likely that a critical factor affecting the effectiveness is the presence of diabetes. More research is needed to confirm these findings.”
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