People can modify their lifestyles giving themselves a much better chance of avoiding the condition
Scientists have come up with a list of risk factors for dementia and have developed a tool which can “strongly predict” whether a person will develop the condition in the next 14 years. Some 11 risk factors, including lifestyle and personal features alongside history of illnesses, were found to assess with good accuracy whether or not people in mid-life would go on to develop dementia.
The 11 factors are age, education, a history of diabetes, a history of depression, a history of stroke, parental history of dementia, levels of deprivation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, living alone and gender. Researchers also examined these risk factors alongside whether or not people carried a specific gene – APOE gene, which is a known risk factor for dementia.
As well as identifying those at risk, these tools can also highlight preventative measures people can take while it is still possible. The academics point out previous work which suggests that up to 40% of dementia cases could be prevented through modifying certain lifestyle factors including stopping smoking, reducing high blood pressure, losing weight and reducing alcohol intake.
“It’s well known that dementia risk, onset, and prevalence vary by race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status. “Therefore, while the consistent performance of UKBDRS across these two independent groups boosts our confidence in its viability, we need to evaluate it across more diverse groups of people both within and beyond the UK.”
It comes as a separate study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found that over 60s living “unhealthy lifestyles” were more likely to need nursing home care in later life.
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