Association between lithium use and the incidence of dementia and its subtypes

Firstly the effect size is tiny. Doubt it’s significant. Do we need 2 more patients to develop dementia in the exposed group to make them the same?

Secondly if there were an effect, it might be the condition they’re treating someone for is protective.

Punchline: “Lithium-exposed patients were more likely to be married, cohabiting or in a civil partnership, to be a current/former smoker, to have used antipsychotics, and to have comorbid depression, mania/bipolar affective disorder (BPAD), hypertension, central vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemias. No significant difference between the 2 groups was observed for other characteristics, including age, sex, and alcohol-related disorders. In the exposed cohort, 53 (9.7%) patients were diagnosed with dementia, including 36 (6.8%) with Alzheimer disease (AD) and 13 (2.6%) with vascular dementia (VD). In the unexposed cohort, corresponding numbers were the following: dementia 3,244 (11.2%), AD 2,276 (8.1%), and VD 698 (2.6%)”

So bipolar geriatrics may not be dements? I guess that's sort of a blessing but it's a rum outcome. My BP suffering acquaintances said the drug regime removes the scary lows but they missed the exhilarating highs. Felt less creative, less capable.