Angiotensin Receptor Blockers: Do They Protect Against Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease in the Elderly?

Authors and Disclosures

Tzvi Dwolatzky, Department of Geriatrics & Memory Clinic, Mental Health Center, PO Box 4600, Beersheva 84170, Israel. tzvidov@bgu.ac.il

Disclosure: Tzvi Dwolatzky has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Executive Summary

• Dementia, the most common cause of which is Alzheimer's disease (AD), is highly prevalent among the older population in developed countries.

• Dementia places a significant burden on caregivers and on healthcare services.

• Effective therapeutic interventions for dementia and AD are limited.

• The search for agents with protective or beneficial effects in these conditions is of the utmost importance.

• Angiotensin receptor blockers may protect against the development of AD and dementia, and may decrease mortality and delay nursing home placement in patients with these conditions.

• Further studies will clarify whether these agents are beneficial in preserving cognitive function.