More prednisone risks | Arthritis Information

 

I was googling yesterday on the various causes of dementia (my elderly father is getting very confused) and came across a reference to a man on prednisone (reading between the lines, I suspect it was for PMR) who began suffering from dementia, and experienced a complete reversal of dementia when he was weaned off prednisone.

I've noticed that my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be - well, that's a common complaint among post-menopausal women, but I've wondered if the medication played any role in it - and what do I run across on the internet today but a study on the memories of kidney transplant patients on prednisone! - here's the abstract:

Abstract: The literature indicates that high daily doses of gluco-corticosteroids have a degenerating effect upon the hippocampus and thus result in reduced declarative memory capacities. In order to prevent rejection, renal transplant recipients are treated with moderate daily doses of gluco-corticosteroids and, if necessary, with high pulse-doses during a few days. The question, therefore, arises as to whether or not such standard treatments result in memory impairments. For this reason, declarative memory capacities were measured, by means of a Dutch version of Rey's 15 Words Test, in a group of 52 renal transplant recipients. Results clearly indicated severe reductions in declarative memory capacities in these patients.

Here's the link & reference info, if anyone wants to explore further.  Another reason to always try to reduce the dosage to the lowest you are comfortable with!  GRADUALLY!  Don't anyone panic and start to lower too fast, as that can be life threatening!

Authors: Bob Bermond, Sugianto Surachno, Anja Lok, Ineke JM ten Berge, Barbara Plasmans, Cornelis Kox, Esther Schuller, Peter TA Schellekens and Ronald Hamel

Volume 19, Issue 4, Page 512, Cover Date August 2005

Journal Name: Clinical Transplantation

Click here to go to the abstract of this article in Blackwell Synergy:

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1399-0012 .2005.00376.x

 

 

Thanks, Ruth, for this very important information. I have been feeling
overloaded with research, like I was going in circles. But you show it's
important to keep up and the value of this forum.

GeralynOh great, another pred hazard! Oh well, at least the "pred dementia" is reversible, unlike most of the other sort.
Ruth, I hope your father will be OK, it must be a worrying time for you. Just remember that not all confusion/memory loss in the elderly inevitably results in dementia. SOme folk just get a bit absent minded and stay that way, without going further downhill.
I hate that term "dementia", ie demented, which sounds like everyone with dementia is demented and completely crazy.

Copyright ArthritisInsight.com