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Bypass Surgery Increases Risks of Alzheimer’s
Boston University researchers have suggested that heart bypass surgery may increase the risk of Alzheimer, says a study published in the current issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Led by Dr. Benjamin Wolozin, professor of pharmacology, the research pinpoints stress and trauma of the surgery as the major cause for the increased risk.
The researchers compared 5,216 people who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and 3,954 people who had a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 1996 and 1997, and found that over the course of five years, 78 of the patients who had bypass surgery and 41 of those who had angioplasty developed Alzheimer’s.
The researchers are currently working to determine if these same observations can be duplicated in their studies. Antioxidants might offer some protection, as well as memantine, a medication that helps slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease," Wolozin said. (ANI)
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