Widely prescribed drugs linked to increased risk of dementia
(WorldNews Health)

The long-term use of a class of drugs commonly used to treat a number of medical conditions, including depression, bladder problems, epilepsy and Parkinson´s disease, may increase the risk of dementia among older adults, according to a large British study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine. The drugs are anticholinergics, which help contract and relax muscles by blocking acetycholine, a chemical that aids the transmission of messages throughout the nervous system. The study found that people aged 55 and older who had used these medications daily for three years or longer were about 50 percent more likely to develop dementia than people in that age group who had not taken the...