Traditional Chinese medicine reduces dementia risk in hypertensive patients

Hypertension has been associated with a variety of complications, one of which is an increased risk for dementia. A study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine looked into the benefits of treating hypertension with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly, as a means to reduce the risk of dementia.

• The researchers used data from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).
• They identified 143,382 patients aged 20 to 90 years who sought treatment between 1998 and 2007. To be included, they needed to have been newly diagnosed with hypertension.
• Among the participants, 52,365 or 36.52 percent were treated for hypertension using TCM (TCM users). The remaining 91,017 or 63.48 percent were not and were designated as the control group (non-TCM users). The patients were followed up until the end of 2012.
• The researchers noted that 3,933 or 8.41 percent of TCM users developed dementia. On the other hand, 10,316 or 11.55 percent of non-TCM users developed the condition. The effect was observed in those who had treatment longer than 180 days.
• Of the products most commonly used in TCM to treat hypertension, those that showed the most promise in preventing dementia were Tian-Ma-Gou-Teng-Yin, Dan-Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae), Chuan-Niu-Xi (Radix Cyathulae), Ge-Gen (Radix Puerariae), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San, and Jue-Ming-Zi (Semen Cassiae).

These findings led the researchers to conclude that TCM can help protect patients from the risk of dementia, making it an excellent prevention strategy.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

Learn how to take care of your heart and overall health at Heart.news.

Journal Reference:

Chen K-H, Yeh M-H, Livneh H, Chen B-C, Lin I-H, Lu M-C, Tsai T-Y, Yeh C-C. ASSOCIATION OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE THERAPY AND THE RISK OF DEMENTIA IN PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION: A NATIONWIDE POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2017;17(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-1677-4