Lithium Linked to Small Reduction in Dementia Onset
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Lithium could be linked to a decrease in the risk of developing dementia for some people, according to a small study. Researchers at the University of Cambridge described their preliminary findings as "promising" and said that they justified conducting larger, randomised trials to test the results. Lithium has been proposed as a possible preventative treatment for dementia, but little population-level research has been conducted to support the idea that its use might delay onset
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@sreejon To try to fill the evidence base, the researchers carried out a retrospective analysis of health records for people over the age of 50 who had accessed NHS mental health services, from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, between 2005 and 2019 with a follow-up of at least 12 months. Patients were excluded from the analysis if they had been diagnosed previously with dementia or mild cognitive impairment.