Elderly Care: Commonly Prescribed Gastrointestinal Drugs Associate With Cognitive Decline

Abstract

Background — Gastrointestinal (GI) medications are among the most common drugs used in old age. Recent studies reported heterogeneous association between proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) with neurological complications such as memory impairment. Objective — This research was conducted to assess the effect of different categories of GI drugs on cognitive function of older adults. Methods — This case-control study was carried-out on adults 60 or more years of age and over living in Amirkola, northern Iran, where health-related data were available in the database of the second phase of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Cohort Project (AHAP). Cognitive function of the elderly was examined with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) screening test. Results — Among 900 examined individuals, total intake of GI medications exhibited no significant effect on cognitive function of older adults [adjusted OR:1.049 (95% CI: 0.757-1.452); p=0.775]; however, a statistically significant effects of PPIs [adjusted OR=1.571 (1.001-2.467); p=0.050) and medicinal drugs affecting GI tract movements [adjusted OR=2.202 (1.180-4.111); p=0.013) on cognitive function were observed. Conclusion — Although total intake of GI medications did not cause a statistically significant impact on cognitive function of older adults, PPIs and medicinal drugs affecting GI tract movements had a significant effect.