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- 10/15/2018

Antiepileptic drugs linked to higher risk of stroke in persons with Alzheimer’s disease

Pharma Horizon

Antiepileptic drug use is associated with an increased risk of stroke among persons with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland. The risk did not differ between old and new antiepileptic drugs. The results were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The risk of stroke was particularly elevated for the first three months of antiepileptic drug use, and remained elevated after accounting for several chronic disorders, socioeconomic position and use of concomitant medications.

According to another recent study from the same research group, persons with Alzheimer’s disease use antiepileptic drugs more often than persons without Alzheimer’s disease. The difference was not explained by epilepsy, and there was a considerable increase in antiepileptic drug use around the time when Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed.

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Reference
Antiepileptic drug use and the risk of stroke among community-dwelling persons with Alzheimer’s disease: a matched cohort study. Tatyana Sarycheva, Piia Lavikainen, Heidi Taipale, Jari Tiihonen, Antti Tanskanen, Sirpa Hartikainen, Anna-Maija Tolppanen. Originally published 15 Sept 2018. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2018;7:e009742. DOI:10.1161/JAHA.118.009742