Although dementia is very common in adults, hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed Young-onset dementia (YOD) each year—and a broader study sheds some light on why.
Most of them Previous research In this area, he looked at genes passed down through generations, but here, the team was able to identify 15 different lifestyle and health conditions associated with the risk of YOD.
“This is the largest and most robust study of its kind.” he said. Epidemiologist David Llewellyn from the University of Exeter in the UK.
“Excitingly, it shows for the first time that we can take action to reduce the risk of this debilitating condition by targeting different factors.”
The research team analyzed data collected on 356,052 people aged under 65 in the UK. Low socioeconomic status, social isolation, hearing impairment, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and depression are all associated with a higher risk of YOD.
Vitamin D deficiency and high C-reactive protein (produced by the liver in response to inflammation) and the two variants of the ApoE4 ε4 gene (an early genetic condition) cause a high risk. Associated with Alzheimer’s disease).
The researchers described the relationship between alcohol and iodine as “complex”. Although alcohol increases the risk of abuse, moderate to heavy drinking is associated with a reduced risk—perhaps because people in this second group are generally healthier (remember that alcohol consumption is often medical).
Higher levels of formal education and lower physical frailty (measured by maximal hand strength) were associated with lower risk of YOD. All of this helps fill in some of the knowledge gaps around YOD.
“We know from studies of people who develop dementia as they age that there are a series of modifiable risk factors.” he said. Neuroepidemiologist Sebastian Koehler from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
“In addition to physical conditions, mental health also plays an important role, which includes avoiding constant stress, loneliness and depression.”
While the results do not prove dementia is caused by these factors, they help build a more detailed picture. As always in this type of research, knowing more about the causes will help develop better treatments and preventative measures.
Many of these factors are modifiable, which gives more hope to people who are trying to find ways to overcome mental illness rather than just managing it. Ultimately, dementia can be something we can reduce our risk by living a healthy life.
“Young-onset dementia has a very serious impact, because those affected still have jobs, children and busy lives.” he said. Neuroscientist Stevie Hendricks, from Maastricht University.
“The cause is often thought to be genetic, but for many people we don’t know exactly what the cause is. That’s why we wanted to investigate other risk factors in this study.”
The study was published in JEMA Neurology.
A version of this article was first published in January 2024.