“There is currently controversy over whether gabapentin increases the risk of dementia in patients,” Nafis B. Eghrari, lead author of the study and a fourth-year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine , told Medical News Today . “It is not well understood how gabapentin affects cognitive function and whether it may contribute to neurodegenerative processes. Previous studies have shown conflicting results, so we decided to fill this gap.”
The results showed that participants who received six or more gabapentin prescriptions had a 29% increased risk of dementia and an 85% increased risk of MCI . “The significance of this finding is that it establishes a link between gabapentin prescriptions and dementia nationwide,” Eghrari said. “This does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, but warrants further study of the drug’s long-term effects.”
Additionally, the team found that the risk was highest among those aged 35-49, with a two-fold increase in dementia and a three-fold increase in MCI. Eghrari said he was surprised to find that the greatest increase in risk was in the non-elderly population, with those over 65 generally at higher risk for neurodegeneration.
Limitations and criticisms of the study
This observational study has some limitations. One of these is the lack of information on other concurrent diagnoses or treatments of the participants. Furthermore, many factors influence the risk of dementia, making it impossible to determine the exact cause, especially in studies with large databases.
“One very important factor that hasn’t been studied yet is physical activity level,” Professor Tara Spiers-Jones, director of the Brain Sciences Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh, told Medscape . “People with chronic pain taking gabapentin may have been less physically active, which is a known risk factor for dementia.”
