Telmisartan Linked to Reduced Risk for Alzheimer Disease in Black Patients

MONDAY, Nov. 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) — In African American patients, telmisartan is associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer disease (AD), according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Pengyue Zhang, Ph.D., from Indiana University in Indianapolis, and colleagues examined the association between telmisartan exposure and AD outcomes in race-conscious pharmacoepidemiologic studies of 5.62 million older individuals aged 60 years and older. A Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis of large ethnically diverse genetic data was performed to test likely causal relationships.

The researchers found a significant association of moderate/high versus low/no telmisartan exposure with a reduced incidence of AD in African Americans, but not in non-Hispanic European Americans. In African Americans, sensitivity and sex-/age-stratified patient subgroup analyses showed that telmisartan’s medication possession ratio and average hypertension daily dosage were significantly associated with a stronger reduction in the incidence of AD and dementia. Using MR analysis, African American-specific beneficial effects of telmisartan were identified for AD.

“Considering race-specific drug responses holds potential for drastically improving patient care,” a coauthor said in a statement. “Identifying these candidate drugs can also reveal more information about the disease itself through referencing the medicine’s targets.”

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text