Study finds lithium given to bipolar and depression patients reduces dementia risk

One study suggests that a mood-stabilizing medication given to patients with bipolar disorder may reduce the risk of dementia.

The alleged benefits of lithium were discovered by Cambridge University academics who analyzed nearly 30,000 psychiatric patients.

Only 9.7% of patients who were prescribed lithium developed dementia, while 11.2% of those who did not receive lithium developed dementia.

This is despite the fact that conditions like bipolar disorder are strongly linked to an increased risk of cruelty disorder.

Today, charities said it was “vital” for researchers to follow the results urgently, and that no drugs were shown to prevent dementia.

Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, stealing the memory of 900,000 Britons.

Nearly 5 million people in the United States also live with the condition that academics have spent decades trying to eliminate.

Numerous other scientific papers have pointed to lithium as a promising compound for investigating ways to combat memory deprivation.

Lithium occurs naturally in vegetables, grains and in very low concentrations in the water supply.

At much higher levels, it is sometimes prescribed by the NHS for the treatment of various mood disorders such as mania, depression and bipolar disorder.

The scientists examined the medical records of 29,618 people over the age of 50 who had access to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust mental health services.

None of the participants followed for up to 14 years had mild cognitive impairment or dementia at study start.

About 550 patients were given lithium, which allowed experts to compare whether the drug reduced the risk of dementia.

The results were published in the journal Splash Medicine.

Lead author of the study, Dr. Shanquan Chen said the finding was unexpected, as people with bipolar disorder are at greater risk for dementia.

“It’s too early to say for sure, but it’s possible that lithium may reduce the risk of dementia in people with bipolar disorder,” he said.

But the study was small and larger experiments are needed to make a connection.

Dr. Sara Imarisio from Alzheimer’s Research UK said: “There is an urgent need for new treatments for dementia.

“If there are indications that a current, widely used, relatively safe and inexpensive drug may help, it’s important for researchers to follow up on it as soon as possible.”

Doctors aren’t entirely sure how the metal might have a protective effect.

Some have suggested that lithium may inhibit enzymes in the brain responsible for producing toxic proteins that result from Alzheimer’s disease and cause brain cell death.

It came after a 2017 study of 800,000 people in Denmark found that those who drank water with high concentrations of metals were 17% less likely to develop dementia.

But the results were not clear: People in the moderate exposure group were 22% more likely to have dementia than those in the low exposure group.

Some experts have said that other elements such as calcium may also play a role when it comes to drinking water.

Lithium medications should only be obtained by prescription, as the dosage is unique to each patient. Excessive intake can cause life-threatening problems in organs such as the kidney.