There isn't much that can cure dementia. As people have fewer children, a lot of countries find that pretty soon, the most part of their population, old and gray, might well be what one calls senile, victims of brain dementia. Of course, a certain amount of research exists on a new drug, an antihistamine from Russia, that promises to reverse dementia for a while, but no one promises a cure for it yet. Our best hope, lies in helping the old find ways to extend their productive lives, in keeping dementia and Alzheimer's at bay as long as they can. The brightest promise in this area, lies in new research that finds that common medicines for high blood pressure are a great way of rejuvenating the brain, and keeping Alzheimer's and dementia at bay.
The research was done in Boston; there is a certain kind of hypertension medication; the drugs are known as ARBs or angiotensin receptor blockers; and Diovan and Atacand are popular examples of them. Anyone who takes these medicines through life, finds themselves at a lower risk of getting brain dementia as they grow old. At the rate it's going now, dementia is expected to hit more than 100 million people in 40 years, most of them in the poor countries. To scientists and doctors who have been struggling for ages for some kind of serious hope in this most frightful of diseases, this presents an unbelievable stroke of luck.
The study in question, followed nearly a million older people, mostly men, for a period of four years. All of them were selected for their high blood pressure. They split them up into three groups; in one group were people who had been taking ARBs for years; the next group had people who had been taking Lisinopril for years; and the third group had been on generic blood-pressure medication. High blood pressure usually hastens dementia in people; they get a series of tiny little strokes over many years, that destroys the brain. And taking drugs like Diovan, reduces the risk significantly.
Just the hope that there could be a clue here to work on, is an immense boost to scientists who have been working blind for ages. As wonderful as all this is, they don't really know yet how well it can turn out, or how practical. Scientists in general, usually like to understate their hopes, and overperform on actual delivery. Let's hope that this happens with using blood-pressure medication to control brain dementia too.