Complementary Medications (Statins, Nicergoline, Naftidrofuryl) in Dementia

The demographic changes and aging of the population increase the prevalence of cognitive decline and dementia. Every country is affected by this phenomenon, and especially developing countries suffer from this condition, because of lack of appropriate caring infrastructure. In this review, preventive and symptomatic effects of some complementary medications in dementia are investigated. The focus is on agents like statins, nicergoline, and naftidrofuryl. Statins seem to prevent cognitive disorders by their beneficial effects against atherosclerosis, oxidation, inflammation, and amyloidogenicity and by enhancing neurogenesis. But some controversy exists concerning the utilization of statins in midlife for prevention of dementia and effects on mild cognitive impairment (MCI), vascular dementia (VaD), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Effective management of hypertension seems to prevent VaD and AD and might be beneficial to MCI. Nicergoline increases acetylcholine, noradrenaline, and dopamine levels and the regional blood flow in the brain. Some positive effects on cognition and behavior are observed. But further studies seem to be warranted for their safe and effective utilization. Other agents (i.e., nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, rosiglitazone, estrogen hormone, ginkgo biloba, antihypertensives), which were not subject of this review, but who were mentioned in the literature, lack studies showing significant effects on dementia. Cognitive decline and dementia are increasing with age. This increase is also affected by the demographic changes of populations. The silver tsunami is reaching the borders of every country. In 2015, almost 47 million people were affected by this problem globally and by 2020 this number is expected to triplicate. No one is immune against this. Countries, which did their preparation very well, will tolerate this challenge. Investment in this covers mainly public health issues, and if unavoidable, symptomatic treatment is warranted (Poly et al. 2020). In this review, preventive and symptomatic effects of some complementary medications in dementia, mainly statins, nicergoline, and naftidrofuryl, will be discussed.