Dementia With Lewy Bodies Risk Down With α-1 Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists

WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Men taking α-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists terazosin, doxazosin, and alfuzosin (Tz/Dz/Az) seem to have a lower risk for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), according to a study published online June 19 in Neurology.

Alexander Hart, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues used a new-user active comparator design in the Merative Marketscan database to identify men with no history of DLB who were newly initiated on Tz/Dz/Az or two comparator medications (α-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist tamsulosin or 5α-reductase inhibitor [5ARI]) to examine the potential neuroprotective effects of Tz/Dz/Az.

The researchers found that the risk for developing DLB was lower for men who were newly started on Tz/Dz/Az than those taking tamsulosin or 5ARI (hazard ratios, 0.60 and 0.73, respectively), while the risk was similar for men taking tamsulosin versus 5ARI. The results were robust to sensitivity analyses.

“More research is needed to follow people over time and determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship here, but it is promising to think that these drugs could have a protective effect on this disease that will likely affect a larger number of people as the population ages,” coauthor Jacob E. Simmering, Ph.D., of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, said in a statement.

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