For patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), pioglitazone use is associated with a reduced risk for dementia, especially in those with a history of ischemic heart disease or stroke, according to a study published in Neurology. Researchers
examined the effects of pioglitazone use on dementia in patients with new-onset T2D using data from a national health insurance T2D cohort. The extent to which incident stroke affects the association between pioglitazone use and dementia was assessed. Compared with non-use, pioglitazone use was associated with a reduced risk for dementia (aHR, 0.84); patients with a history of ischemic heart disease or stroke before DM onset had a greater risk reduction for dementia (aHR, 0.46 and 0.57, respectively). Pioglitazone use was also associated with a reduced risk for stroke incidence (aHR, 0.81). However, a lowered risk for dementia was not seen when stroke developed during the observation period of pioglitazone use.
