REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — a diabetes medication which can be purchased at a low price turned out to have great potential in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. According to studies, a drug called Actos or pioglitazone This can reduce the risk of disease Alzheimer up to 54 percent.
“Remember dementia often occurs for several years before the diagnosis is made, there is an opportunity to intervene before (dementia) develops (is more severe),” said the head of the research team from Yonsei University, Dr. Eosu Kim, as reported by MirrorMonday (20/2/2023).
Pioglitazone is a drug used by millions of diabetics to control their blood sugar levels. Drugs that work by increasing hormones insulin these can be had for 30pence or almost Rp 5,000 per tablet.
Recent studies in the journal Neurology reveal that this drug also has the potential to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This study involved 91,218 adults in South Korea as participants, and around 3,467 of them were users of pioglitazone.
The study results showed that the incidence of dementia in general decreased by 16 percent in participants who took pioglitazone. Dementia is a general term to describe problems with decreased memory, language skills, and thinking skills that are severe and can interfere with daily life. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease.
The study also found that the reduced risk appeared to be greater the longer participants used pioglitazone. The reduction in dementia risk after participants used pioglitazone for two years was 22 percent, while after four years it was 37 percent.
The reduction in risk was most significant in participants using pioglitazone who had experienced or had a history of stroke or ischemic heart disease. In this group, the use of pioglitazone can reduce the risk of dementia by 43-54 percent.
The research team added that the benefit of reducing the risk of dementia was only found in pioglitazone users who had diabetes. The use of the drug pioglitazone appears to provide no benefit when used by people with dementia or who are at risk for dementia but do not have diabetes.
“It is possible that the presence of diabetes is an important factor affecting effectiveness. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings,” said the research team.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are many types of dementia that are now recognized. Of these various types, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common dementia.
“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form and may contribute to around 60-70 percent of cases (dementia),” WHO said through its official website.
According to the National Health Service (NHS) in England, the main symptom that appears in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease is memory impairment. In the early stages, people with Alzheimer’s disease may experience some of the following complaints:
1. Forget about the conversation or event that just took place
2. Putting things in the wrong place
3. Forget the name of a place or object
4. It’s hard to find the right words
5. Asking the same question over and over again
6. Unable to make judgments or difficult to make decisions
7. Become less flexible and more averse to novelty
8. Sometimes, there are also signs of mood swings, such as increased anxiety or agitation, or experiencing repeated confusion.
In general, researcher Prof Sir Muir Gray said there were five efforts that could be made to reduce the risk of dementia. One of them is to keep physically and mentally active. For physically active, Prof. Gray recommends sports or physical activity every day. As for mentally active, Prof. Gray recommends people to read or learn new things.
The second effort is to keep your weight, blood sugar levels, and high blood pressure under control. This can be realized through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle, including a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts.
The other two efforts are quitting smoking and getting enough sleep and managing stress. While the fifth attempt is to establish social relations with other people.
