Seniors Should Avoid Common Class Of Drugs To Lower Risk Of Dementia

BOSTON (CBS) - A warning for seniors: Researchers in the United Kingdom studied data on more than 300,000 people and found a link between a certain class of drugs called anticholinergics and an increased risk of dementia.

These drugs and others are commonly used to treat depression, bladder incontinence, and Parkinson's disease in the elderly, but the researchers found a link between use of these types of drugs and about a 30-percent higher risk of dementia.

The risk was higher even if the drugs were used up to 20 years before the diagnosis of dementia was made.

Experts are saying these drugs should be avoided in the elderly if alternatives are available.