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Prostate drugs may help beat form of dementia that blights the lives of 100,000 Brits, study suggests READ MORE: Breakthrough dementia drugs are 'useless for 80%' experts warn By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor For The Daily Mail Published: 16:00 EDT, 19 June 2024 | Updated: 16:00 EDT, 19 June 2024 e-mail View comments Drugs commonly used to treat enlarged prostate symptoms might also decrease the risk of a particular type of dementia, a study suggests. Researchers have discovered a link between common prostate medication and a lowered risk of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). DLB accounts for around one in 10 of all dementia cases in the UK – the equivalent of around 100,000 people - and is caused by clumps of protein in the cells of the brain.

It is the form of the condition that comedian Robin Williams suffered from before his suicide in 2014. Now, experts believe these ‘promising’ medicines may help slow its progression – or even prevent the disease altogether. A team from the University of Iowa analysed data on 643,000 men who were newly starting one of six drugs to treat an enlarged prostate.



Dementia with Lewy bodies is the form of the condition that comedian Robin Williams suffered from before his suicide in 2014. Here he is pictured at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards in 2009 Three of the drugs – terazosin (Tz), doxazosin (Dz) and alfuzosin (Az) – are already known to boost energy production in brain cells. Previous studies suggest that this abi.

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