People who had diabetes when they were 55 years old were over four times more likely to later develop dementia than people who did not have diabetes at that age.
For instance, people around the age of 55 are most likely to develop it if they have diabetes and high blood pressure.
Those with heart disease in their mid-60s are most prone. Individuals in their 70s should be wary if they suffered a stroke – or have diabetes.
This also applied to 80-year-olds – although taking blood pressure medications was protective.
Lead author Professor Emer McGrath, of the National University of Ireland Galway, said: “These findings can help us to more accurately predict a person’s future risk of developing dementia and make individualized recommendations on lifestyle changes and risk factor control to help reduce their risk of dementia later on.”
The number of dementia cases worldwide will triple to more than 150 million by 2050. With no cure in sight, there is an increasing focus on preventative behaviors.
Prof McGrath and colleagues tracked nearly 5,000 people in the US for up to a quarter of a century – from around the age of 55.
They used information from the Framingham Heart Study which has been surveying the health of residents of the Massachusetts town.
Almost half of the participants remained dementia-free and had data available at around the age of 80. Starting at 65, they were followed to see who developed dementia.
People who had diabetes when they were 55 years old were over four times more likely to later develop dementia than people who did not have diabetes at that age.
And 55-year-olds with high blood pressure were more likely to develop dementia, with the risk increasing by about 12% for every 10-point increase in systolic blood pressure, which is the top number in the reading.
People who had cardiovascular disease when they were 65 years old were nearly twice as likely to later develop dementia as those who did not have those conditions.
This could include a heart attack or other heart conditions, but not stroke.
People in their 70s who had diabetes and stroke were more likely to develop dementia. For 80-year-olds, people who had a stroke or diabetes were about 40% to 60% more likely to develop dementia.
Added Prof McGrath: “Dementia is a complicated disease and risk prediction scores need to be tailored to the individual.
“Our findings support the use of age-specific risk prediction scores for dementia instead of a one-size-fits-all approach.”
In the UK, Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia affect more than 920,00 people – a figure that will rise to 2 million in the next three decades.
The study in the journal Neurology offers hope of a screening program to identify vulnerable individuals.
Detecting dementia early is vital to developing treatments. Drugs trials have failed to date because they are given to patients after the disease has already taken hold.
Current drugs can treat the symptoms – but not the cause. Most participants were white. The results may not apply to people of other ethnicities.
By: Mark Waghorn via SWNS
posted on: Talker