Dementia Risk with Second-Generation Antihistamines

Patients who take first-generation H₁ antihistamines (fgAHs) may have an increased risk of dementia. To examine whether second-generation H₁-antihistamines (sgAHs) are associated with dementia, researchers have now examined health records of some 120,000 adults 50 years and older with allergic rhinitis (AR), chronic sinusitis, or chronic urticaria, without baseline dementia. Patients treated with intranasal or oral steroids were matched for baseline characteristics to those taking an antihistamine (Figure 1).