One of The World's Most Used Drugs May Lower Dementia Risk – But There's a Catch - ScienceAlert

One of the most widely used drugs in the world could help reduce dementia risk when taken daily – but only for some. An analysis of a large randomized controlled trial, including more than 13,500 older adults in Australia and the US, has now found that taking daily aspirin is associated with a lower relative risk of dementia among people with certain genes. The study, published in Alzheimer's & Dementia, uses data from one of the largest placebo-controlled trials of aspirin use in healthy older adults. It is the first study to identify a genetic subgroup of individuals who can potentially lower their dementia risk with low doses of aspirin. The participants who seem to benefit the most are those with genetic scores associated with higher platelet counts in the blood. Among this subgroup, those taking aspirin showed a 70 percent lower risk of developing dementia over the course of the trial compared to those taking a placebo, with the difference emerging after roughly 2 to 3 years of follow-up. But there were also risks. Serious bleeds during this time were also roughly twice as common among those taking aspirin.