Researchers from the University of Southern California (USA) found that having dementia in one twin can shorten the life of the other. results published In the journal Alzheimer and Dementia (A&D).
The study included 90 pairs of identical twins and 288 pairs of fraternal twins; One of the couples had dementia. It also included data from 987 twins (both had dementia) and 2,938 controls (all healthy). Scientists compared the living conditions in which the twins grew up, taking into account upbringing factors, exposure to a polluted environment in childhood, nutrition, education and level of physical activity. Data on the health status of the participants were also collected. Researchers sought to find out how having a twin with dementia affects that sibling’s life expectancy.
It turns out that people whose twins have dementia live shorter lives than those whose siblings are healthy. This correlation became especially clear when examining data from identical twins. Both identical twins have the same genotype, meaning they are “clones” of each other. When one of the fraternal twins (they had different genotypes) was diagnosed with dementia, the life expectancy of the second was not reduced that much.
The researchers explained that dementia itself does not cause a decrease in the life expectancy of people with this disease and their siblings. This disease, like many others, can occur due to a combination of adverse environmental factors and genetics. For example, both twins may develop cardiovascular disease; This may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease in one twin and a shortened life expectancy in both.
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