CHICAGO — Commonly used incontinence drugs might cause memory problems in some older people, a study has found.
“Our message is to be careful when using these medicines,” said U.S. Navy neurologist Dr. Jack Tsao, who led the study. “It may be better to use diapers and be able to think clearly than the other way around.”
Urinary incontinence sometimes can be resolved with nondrug treatments, he added.
U.S. sales of prescription drugs to treat urinary problems topped $3 billion in 2007, according to IMS Health. Bladder-control trouble affects about one in 10 people age 65 and older, according to the National Institute on Aging. Women are more likely to be affected than men. Causes include nerve damage, loss of muscle tone or, in men, enlarged prostate.
The findings, released Thursday, come from an analysis of the medication use and cognitive test scores of 870 Catholic priests, nuns and brothers who participated in a study at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center. The average age was 75.
Researchers tracked them for eight years. People who took the drugs had a 50 percent faster rate of cognitive decline compared to those who took none.
