Large study identifies 15 factors associated with risk of early onset dementia

Although dementia is much more common among older adults, hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed with dementia each year.

Most previous research in this area has focused on genes that are passed down from generation to generation, but a new study by a team that appeared Dec. 26 in journal JAMA Neurology was able to identify 15 different lifestyle and health factors that are associated with the risk of early dementia.

“This is the largest and most powerful study ever conducted in this area,” assures epidemiologist David Llewellyn from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

“Interestingly, it reveals for the first time that we could take steps to reduce the risk of this debilitating disease by targeting a number of different factors,” he adds.

The research team analyzed data collected from 356,052 people under the age of 65 in Great Britain.

Here are some significant factors that are associated with a higher risk of VWD.

– Low socioeconomic status

– Social isolation

– Hearing problems

– Hit it

-Diabetes

– Heart disease

– Depression

-Vitamin D deficiency

-High levels of C-reactive protein (produced in the liver in response to inflammation)

Although the results do not prove that dementia is caused by these factors, they provide a more detailed picture of the situation. As always in this type of research, learning more about the causes can help develop better treatments and preventative measures.

Many of these factors are modifiable, giving more hope to those working to prevent or overcome dementia.

Ultimately, it is possible to reduce the risk of dementia by leading a healthier lifestyle.

“The cause is often assumed to be genetic, but for many people we don’t know exactly what it is. That’s why we also wanted to investigate other risk factors in this study,” explained Stevie Hendriks, a neuroscientist at Maastricht University.