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Cardiovascular drugs may reduce the risk of developing dementia
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Common heart drugs are associated with a lower risk of developing dementia in old age, according to a new study led by the Karolinska Institutet and published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
Cardiovascular disease and dementia are major public health challenges, causing significant burden on healthcare and society. A study conducted by the Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that long-term use of common cardiac medications is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia in old age.
"We see a clear association between long-term use - five years or more - of these drugs and a reduced risk of dementia in old age," says Mozhhu Ding, associate professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and one of the lead authors of the paper.
Risk reduction up to 25%
The study used Swedish national registers. The sample included approximately 88,000 people over 70 years of age who were diagnosed with dementia between 2011 and 2016, as well as 880,000 controls. Information on cardiac medications was obtained from the Swedish Prescription Drug Register.
The results showed that long-term use of antihypertensive drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, diuretics and anticoagulants was associated with a 4–25% reduction in the risk of dementia. Combinations of these drugs had a greater protective effect than their use alone.
"Previous studies have focused on individual drugs and specific patient groups, but in this study we take a broader approach," said Alexandra Wennberg, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine and another lead author of the paper.
Some drugs are associated with increased risk
Conversely, antiplatelet drugs have also been found to be associated with a higher risk of dementia. Antiplatelet drugs are used to prevent strokes and prevent platelets from sticking together. One possible explanation is that these drugs increase the risk of microbleeds in the brain, which are associated with cognitive decline.
The researchers say the study is an important contribution to the search for new treatments for dementia.
"We currently don't have a cure for dementia, so it's important to find preventative measures," Wennberg said.
The researchers stress the importance of further research, particularly randomised controlled trials, to better understand the mechanisms underlying these findings. In particular, they will continue to study how diet and lifestyle, along with cardiovascular drug therapy, influence the risk of developing dementia.