Drugs used to treat enlarged prostate may protect against common form of dementia, say scientists

DRUGS used to treat enlarged prostate symptoms protect against a common form of dementia, research reveals.

Men on terazosin, doxazosin, and alfuzosin were 40 per cent less likely to develop the disorder than  those on other prostate drugs.

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Currently, there are no drugs available to stop or slow down dementia with Lewy bodies, which affects about  100,000 Britons and is the next most common neurodegenerative form after Alzheimer’s.

US-based researcher Jacob Simmering  said the prostate drugs  could greatly reduce the effects of the disease, adding: “These results are exciting.”

Alzheimer’s Research UK described the findings, from a review of the health records of 643,000 men, as   “encouraging”.

Dr Julia Dudley, head of research strategy at Alzheimer's Research UK said it was "encouraging to see large studies exploring whether drugs already licensed for other medical conditions could have a protective effect for the diseases that cause dementia".

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She added: "As these drugs have already been shown to be safe for use in people, this could potentially speed up the process of testing in clinical trials.

"It is important to note, however, that this study only looked at whether people developed DLB or not, and future trials would be needed to confirm a causal link between the drug and progression of the disease.

"The study also only included male participants, despite females using the same drugs to treat urinary symptoms, highlighting the need for future research to include wider groups of people."