Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Blocking Agents Reduce Risk for Alzheimer's Disease in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriasis

This large, retrospective case-control study of electronic health records from 56 million unique adult patients examined whether or not treatment with a Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blocking agent reduced risk for Alzheimer9s disease (AD) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, and other inflammatory diseases which are mediated in part by TNF and for which a TNF blocker is an approved treatment. The analysis compared the diagnosis of AD as an outcome measure in patients receiving at least one prescription for a TNF blocking agent (etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab) or for methotrexate. RA increased the risk for AD (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.06, 95% Confidence Interval: (2.02-2.10), P-value