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By Carol Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
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(Health Day)
FRIDAY, Dec. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Researchers identify more than a dozen non-genetic factors that increase the risk of dementia in people under 65, from alcohol consumption to social isolation to hearing loss to heart disease. Identified.
Approximately 370,000 people are newly diagnosed with early-onset dementia each year worldwide, but the disease is understudied.
Now, a large study by British and Dutch scientists suggests that targeting health and lifestyle factors may help lower the risk.
Researchers followed more than 350,000 people under the age of 65 who took part in the UK Biobank study.
Researchers found that people with lower educational attainment, lower economic status, lifestyle factors such as alcohol use disorder and social isolation, and health problems such as vitamin D deficiency, depression, stroke, hearing loss, and heart disease found that people were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with dementia.
Although specific genetic mutations may play a role, this finding casts doubt on the idea that genetics are the only cause.
“This is the largest and most robust study of its kind ever undertaken,” said study co-author David Llewellyn, director of research and impact at the University of Exeter School of Medicine in the UK. Ta. “Interestingly, this study reveals for the first time that by targeting a variety of factors, steps may be taken to reduce the risk of this debilitating disease.” ”
Early-onset dementia takes a heavy toll, said study co-author Stevie Hendricks, a researcher at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
“Those affected typically still have jobs, children and busy lives,” she noted in an Exeter news release. “The cause is often thought to be genetic, but many people don’t actually know what the cause is. Therefore, we wanted to investigate other risk factors.”
Maastricht colleague and co-author Sebastian Köhler pointed out that studies of older dementia patients have already revealed some risk factors.
“In addition to physical factors, mental health also plays an important role, including avoiding chronic stress, loneliness, and depression,” said Koehler, an associate professor of psychiatry and neuropsychology. Ta. “The fact that this was also evident in early-onset dementia was surprising to me. We may have an opportunity to reduce risk in this group as well.”
Part of the funding was provided by Alzheimer’s Research UK. Leah Marsaleen, the charity’s head of clinical research, said the findings shed much-needed light on factors that can influence the risk of early-onset dementia.
“In recent years, there has been growing consensus that dementia is associated with 12 specific modifiable risk factors, including smoking, blood pressure and hearing loss,” she said. “It is now recognized that four out of every 10 people with dementia around the world are associated with these factors.”
Musaleen said broader research is now needed to build on these findings.
Source: University of Exeter, News Release, 26 December 2023
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